The Olympics are gay-coded. We’ve spent the last couple of weeks lusting over snatched divers and gymnasts, salivating over ripped swimmers and obsessing over pole.

There are also at least 195 out queer athletes, who have won 24 medals, per Outsports. Previously in the closet, queer Olympians are now unbeatable, with scores of medals and endorsements to their names.

But even in this new era of acceptance, there is still work to accomplish. There is once again a dearth of out male athletes, with men accounting for just .06% of the total. Right-wingers are also using the Games to spew transphobic hate, targeting Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, despite no evidence that she identifies as trans.

With those challenges in mind, allyship remains very important. And we’re seeing some high-profile Olympians express their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in clever ways.

German field hockey captain Mats Grambusch tops the list, due to his long-standing support for queer people. He started wearing a rainbow armband three years ago, and explained his reasoning at the 2023 World Cup.

“In hockey, in high performance, it’s always really hard to come out and say, ‘Hey, I’m gay,'” he told ESPN. “I don’t know any male player at any level who has come out as gay, but when you see the statistics, there actually can be. Sometimes maybe some people have to have some other people to stand up for something and they will follow.”

That’s exactly right. By wearing rainbow armbands, Grambusch is signaling to LGBTQ+ folx they belong in field hockey. He’ll take centerstage Thursday, as Germany faces off against the Netherlands for the gold medal.

Related: German men’s Olympic hockey captain wears rainbow armband for LGBTQ solidarity

There’s been a fair amount of controversy in recent years over athletes publicly expressing support for LGBTQ+ people. FIFA discouraged athletes from speaking out during the 2022 World Cup, which was held in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

The German team made the loudest statement against the edict, covering their mouths before a team photo.

The Women’s World Cup was a different story, where at least 96 out athletes competed. The games were held in Australia and New Zealand, which are very queer-friendly, just like Paris.

But still, there is a history of Olympians of all stripes being shunned for making social statements. The disqualification of sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos for their Black Power Salute at the 1968 Games in Mexico City remains one of the worst moments in modern Olympic history.

More recently, the IOC banned Ukrainian athletes from wearing armbands to commemorate the deaths of protesters against Russian aggression.

Any athlete who promotes human rights is breaking the shameful tradition of silence. The IOC finally relaxed its rules about self-expression before the 2020 Tokyo Games, but precedent remains.

That precedent didn’t stop Australian women’s rugby sevens star Shani Smale from wearing rainbow head gear, however.

“The rainbow headgear is really important to me,” Smale told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s that visibility piece for myself and for my community. It’s finally being comfortable with myself, [which] is huge. Me being able to share my story helps others be able to figure out who they are and what stories they have.”

Earlier this week, Italian fencing star Tommaso Marini shared a similar sentiment. The reigning individual world and European champion showed off a rainbow armband when he and his teammates stood on the podium to collect their silver medals.

He added the rainbow emoji at the end of his Instagram post, in which he celebrated his teammates. “Thank you for being some special guys, I’ve been blessed to find teammates like these,” he wrote.

“We shared this amazing journey together and it was beautiful… Who finds a friend finds a treasure?”

As Outsports’ Cyd Zeigler notes, Marini unapologetically flaunts his style, posting pics with painted nails and fashion forward looks. We don’t know how he identifies; but regardless, Marini is another young sports star who’s shattering gender norms.

Team USA track star Noah Lyles, for example, won the 100-meter with a mani-pedi.

Tom Daley, who won silver in 10-meter synchronized diving with his partner Noah Williams kicked off the Games with his rainbow towel, setting the appropriate tone. Out athletes celebrate their queerness all of the time.

But it’s always nice to receive company…

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