World Sport Presents: Journey of the Gay Athlete
One-hour original documentary on CNN featuring:
- LA Galaxy footballer, Robbie Rogers
- Phoenix Mercury basketball player, Brittney Griner
- Speed skater, Blake Skjellerup
Character, camaraderie, integrity; attributes often touted in the world of sport. But in recent years, there’s one action that’s gradually being tested on the field and in the ring… tolerance. The topic of homosexuality and homophobia in sport seems to have run rampant among the world’s leading sporting federations.
In ‘World Sport Presents: Journey of the Gay Athlete’, a one-hour original documentary, CNN gets exclusive access to people on the frontlines fighting against homophobia in sport, to profile some of sport’s most courageous athletes and hear their stories of tackling sport’s last taboo:
Professional footballer for the LA Galaxy, Robbie Rogers shares what it was like growing up gay on the pitch and delves into his greatest fears about coming out in the international world of football.
Brittney Griner, basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury, always knew she would be a professional athlete. But she didn’t always know how she to cope with being taunted and bullied as a teenager or how to navigate high school as a lesbian.
For years, speed skater Blake Skjellerup dreamed of representing New Zealand in the Olympics. To Blake, being gay meant his dream of competing on the international stage seemed almost impossible. He shares his thoughts on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and why he stands beside those opposing Russia’s gay propaganda laws.
‘World Sport Presents: Journey of the Gay Athlete’ can be seen at the following times on CNN International:
Saturday 11 January 0900 GMT / 1000 CET 2000 GMT / 2100 CET Sunday 12 January 0300 GMT / 0400 CET 1100 GMT / 1200 CETAbout CNN International
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Joel Brown, Senior Press Officer EMEA + 44 20 7693 0967 joel.brown@turner.com