London 2012 Olympics to sell special ‘gay’ pin badges
The organising committee of the London 2012 Olympic Games is to sell special pin badges aimed at LGBT people.
The £5 badges will be the first in a series highlighting the six ‘strands of diversity’ and feature the 2012 Games’ logo against a rainbow flag.
They will be on sale at London Pride tomorrow and can also be bought from the London 2012 online shop.
According to a press released from the Games’ organising committee, the badges will “celebrate… strands of diversity and inclusion and engage all communities to support London 2012”.
Further pin badges will be launched over the next year and will celebrate belief, age, disability, gender and ethnicity.
Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, who recently came out, said: “It’s great to see LOCOG (the Games’ organising committee) reaching out to all communities and making sure that London 2012 is a Games for everyone, in which every community feels included.
“I hope that everyone buys and wears their pin badge with pride and helps us achieve greater inclusion in sport.”
Paul Deighton, chief executive of LOCOG, said: “Our vision is as bold as it is simple – to use the power of the Games to inspire change. We want to reach out to all parts of the community and connect them with London 2012.
“We also want to leave a legacy of greater inclusion and understanding of diversity. Our diversity and inclusion pin badge range, starting with the LGBT pin badge, is one way of showing our support for a sporting environment built upon equality and inclusion.”
