“It’s a really great feeling that I can finally be myself.”
This is Finnish Olympic swimmer Ari-Pekka Liukkonen, who publicly came out today.
Adam Pretty / Getty Images
He came out to Finnish outlet Yle because he wanted to speak publicly about his sexuality close to the Sochi Olympic games to shed light on Russia’s controversial anti-gay legislation.
Ari-Pekka Liukkonen at the Yle office. "Urheiluviikonloppu" means "Sports Weekend" in Finnish, and is the title of Yle's weekend sports show that Liukkonen came out on.
Jarno Ranta / Via Yle
"I wanted to start a broader discussion in connection with Sochi, because it's sad that the legislation in Russia restricts the human rights of young people and others."
The 24-year-old, the first in the country to come out during his career, said he is hoping for a more positive approach toward sexuality in the Finnish sporting world.
"In the future I would hope that elite athletes and other people will not find homosexuality to be any kind of news," he said.
