Olympic Pride House returns for Paris 2024 – but what is it?

The Olympics Pride House will return at the Paris 2024 Games, in a bid to celebrate diversity and fight discrimination. 

“Games wide open” is the slogan for Paris 2024, which opens officially on 26 July, emphasising that the Olympics are for everyone. In line with the slogan, the Pride House will be a dedicated space representing the LGBTQ+ community. It aims to celebrate queer athletes and ensure they are seen throughout the two weeks of major sporting events.

The head of the organising committee for the Games, Tony Estanguet, said: “Inclusion, openness and respect for everyone are at the heart of the values of sport, and of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We are proud to have this Pride House. Paris 2024 will be a place full of life, celebration and awareness-raising.”

What is a Pride House? 

A Pride House is a safe, caring and inclusive space at major sporting venues that aims to combat discrimination and ensure members of the LGBTQ+ community are seen. This year it will be located on a barge at Rosa Bonheur on the Seine river, between the Grand Palais and the Place de la Concorde in the city centre.

The barge will ensure LGBTQ+ athletes and visitors have a safe space during the Olympics and Paralympics as well as educate and train people and call for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.

A digital Pride House will make the initiative accessible to all, while a mobile version will visit various Olympics sites during the Games. It will be open to all who believe in the need for inclusive sport. 

Why is the Pride House important? 

Paris 2024 is set to welcome some of the world’s best LGBTQ+ athletes, including Great Britain diver Tom Daley, US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and New Zealand rowers Robbie Manson and Emma Twigg. 

Pride House ambassador and queer bodybuilder Amazin LêThi told AP News: “There will probably be athletes [who] will come to the Paris Olympics who have never been to a country where they have been fully accepted. It will be a breath of fresh air for them once they realise that they can be themselves.” 

Recent research has revealed that sports fans’ attitudes towards the queer community has changed dramatically.