by Jon Holmes (Outsports.com)
Daniel Arcos said his heart had “never been prouder” after holding the rainbow flag aloft at Chile’s national stadium. Photo by Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images
The basketball player, who came out publicly in 2020, was cheered by his teammates and the crowd during the Santiago 2023 opening ceremony.
“An unforgettable moment for Chilean sport” — that’s how Daniel Arcos described his lifting of a Pride rainbow flag at the Pan American Games opening ceremony Friday.
The basketball player produced the flag at the National Stadium as the Team Chile athletes delegation completed the Parade of Nations at their home National Stadium in Santiago.
Cheered on by his friends and fellow competitors, the 29-year-old also received applause from the crowd of around 40,000 who were celebrating the start of the 19th staging of the Games and the first in Chile.
It is the biggest-ever sporting event for the country, which hosted the men’s soccer World Cup back in 1962.
Arcos, who came out publicly via Instagram in June 2020, posted a video of the special moment on his social accounts, writing: “My heart cannot be prouder.”
In his coming out post three years ago, Arcos wrote of how he considered quitting his career with club side Castro in Chile’s elite basketball league due to his fear and discomfort at the thought of being known to be gay.
However, he said the warm reception he got from friends and family convinced him to go public.
“I’m convinced that sport can include us all,” Arcos concluded in the post. “But as long as issues like this are not made visible and natural, it will be difficult to advance.”
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Reposted from Outsports. To read the full article go to: https://www.outsports.com/basketball/2023/10/22/23927308/daniel-arcos-gay-lgbtq-pride-flag-pan-american-games-santiago-2023
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