Last update on.Shelley Holroyd represented Great Britain at the 1996 Olympics and England at two Commonwealth Games.Shelley Holroyd has to think hard before she will consider competing.Because it would interfere with her Olympics training, the javelin thrower stopped a doctor once from placing a plaster cast on her injured hand.Holroyd says that if she was still competing, she wouldn't feel at ease taking part in 2023 World Athletics Championships.This event will be held in Hungary. The government of Hungary has passed a variety of laws that are hostile to LGBTQ+ people. Holroyd is also gay.She says, "Personally, I'd be somewhat apprehensive about going.""If you're a LGBTQ+ athlete, and you're going somewhere that's very homophobic to train, that's going to be a problem.""You know what, are they going be booing at you in the stadium?" It's not a good environment to be disrespected on the track or field.Holroyd won't have to make this decision as she has already retired in 2006. However, an increasing number active LGBTQ+ athletes are now facing an unenviable choice.Are they going to compete in countries that have laws or governments that discriminate against LGBTQ+ persons? Or do they stay home and miss the competitions they've trained for their whole lives?The pressure is on governments to show how they can award events to these countries in line with their commitments to diversity and inclusion.Are actions and words compatible?Uefa was criticized for refusing to light Munich's Allianz Arena in rainbow colours in June's Euro 2020 match with Hungary. Although the governing body stated that it is a politically neutral organization and had to decline the request, they also said that the rainbow was not a political symbol.The following sporting calendar shows how many events will be held in countries that are hostile to the LGBTQ+ community.Oman, a country where homosexuality is prohibited, has the hosting rights to the 2024 Hockey5s World Cup. This five-a-side version will be hosted by Oman. Oman will also host the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup in October and November.Qatar's Fifa, the world's governing body for football, will host the 2022 World Cup. This is four years after Fifa hosted the Russia World Cup in Russia. The European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia for encouraging homophobia.Uefa is European football's governing body. St Petersburg has been chosen to host the 2022 Champions League final. This season follows the 2021 Europa League final in Gdansk, Poland. In Poland, same-sex relationships cannot be legally recognized and couples banned from having children together.Sam Schofield, founder and supporter of Proud Surrey inclusive cricket, says, "Personally I find this type of thing really disappointing.""You would like to see governing bodies look at this more and say: "You know what? We'll reject these countries if they apply to host."It is so frustrating to hear and see one thing about inclusion and then find out that the governing bodies are doing exactly the opposite."What are the opinions of the governing bodies?Joyce Cook from Fifa, who has been working for the governing body of Fifa since 2016, said: "You can't change anything unless it's new."Joyce Cook, chief social responsibility officer and education officer at Fifa, believes that major tournaments can help push for change.She says, "I have always believed that staging the World Cup in Qatar is an opportunity, even before joining Fifa.""You can't change anything unless it's new.""Our primary responsibility, as the governing body for football, is to grow the sport around the globe." We are clear with our hosts that our tournaments must be inclusive.Uefa launched its "Sign up for an Equal Game" initiative in the lead-up to Euro 2020.The FIH, the world's governing body for field hockey, has promised fans that no one will be expelled from the Hockey5s World Cup because of their race, gender, sexuality, or religion.BBC Sport reached out to World Athletics, and the International Cricket Council in order for them to comment."We must walk the walk"Helen Richardson-Walsh, Kate Richardson-Walsh, and their son helped Great Britain win the hockey gold medal at the 2016 OlympicsKate Richardson-Walsh, a British Olympic gold medallist, was worried when Oman announced it would host the 2024 Hockey5s World Cup.She tweeted, "Awarding tournaments in countries where being LGBTQ+ illegal is uncomprehensible." External-link"We must walk the walk and talk it."Others have taken it a step further and ruled themselves out of events being held in countries hostile to the LGBTQ+ community.Jack Bristow, a former age group European champion triathlon athlete, did exactly that last month when he discovered that the age-group World Championships would be held in the United Arab Emirates.Bristow wrote on social media, "I will be withdrawing mine entry." External-link"It is important to me that I compete as an openly homosexual athlete. That's something I am proud of and it is more important to me than any other race."I had to stand up for my country without being disrespectful of it."Liverpool's Molly McCann was a fighter on an UFC card in Abu Dhabi, July 2020However, there are many different opinions within the LGBTQ+ community about this issue.Molly McCann, an English mixed martial artist, participated in UFC bouts during the pandemic. In the United Arab Emirates all sexual activity other than heterosexual marriage is prohibited.She felt it was essential to stand up for her identity, citing Black Lives Matter protests in inspiration.McCann states, "I had always stated that I would avoid fighting in places with a negative view of LGBTQ+ people. It's not like it's our choice to be this way.""But it was during the Black Lives Matter protests, and I thought: 'Who am i to step aside, just because I’m gay and might feel uncomfortable in this situation?I still took my Pride Month clothes and rainbow gloves. I felt I had to stand up for my country without disrespecting it, and I did the best I could.Three Lions Pride co-founder Three Lions Pride in Norwich City, Di Cunningham, is a football fan from Norwich City who shares the same views as McCann and Fifa's Cook that sport can encourage positive attitudes.Three Lions Pride, an inclusive support group for England fans, made a splash at the 2018 World Cup by displaying its rainbow-themed flag outside-link during matches.Cunningham states that football has the ability to transform and there is only so much you can accomplish when you speak in a vacuum."It's an enormous bonus to be able to use football to bring LGBTQ+ inclusion to places that it's not yet a novelty."We had a Russian man walk through our crowd to ask us if our flag was rainbow. That was an epiphany. Because of his sexual orientation, he hadn't seen one in a stadium before. That was transformational."And if our banner can be placed in places that will have TV cameras, then we've spread the message of inclusion around the globe."England matches are now known for their rainbow-themed flagsLip service or discrimination?Many sport's governing bodies have campaigns to tackle discrimination in the broadest possible terms.However, some sports groups have reservations about how these words are perceived by the LGBTQ+ community.Sarah Townsend (co-president, European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation) says that there is a lot of lip service to LGBTQ+ athletes."Many organisations have charters and a Bill of Rights that they promise they will live up to. They don't live up to their promises."And even though events are given in certain countries that do not protect LGBTQ+ rights the organisations should.""If you travel to new places, then you are able to shine a spotlight."For many LGBTQ+ people, the question is still a key one - should major events ever be traveling to these countries?Fifa's Cook says, "I hear what your're saying" when asked about Qatar's 2022 World Cup."But, if you go places, you can open up and shine the spotlight."In terms of LGBTQ+ rights, there is still time as the tournament will not be held until next year - and I am certain that we will leave a lasting legacy."Whether that legacy is the ongoing debate over LGBTQ+ rights, I hope that it will be even greater."I hope that this will lead to more lasting change. We will do our part." Our responsibility, in the end is to deliver the World Cup and open the dialogue.Every Wednesday, BBC Sounds features new episodes of the BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast.
