Gay athlete organizing Pride House carries Olympic torch in Milan
Joseph Naklé is a longtime organizer of LGBTQ sports in Milan. A gay athlete himself, he is organizing Pride House for the Winter Olympics. The post Gay athlete organizing Pride House carries Olympic torch in Milan appeared first on Outsports.
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Gay athlete and LGBTQ-sports organizer Joseph Naklé had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch in his hometown of Milan on Thursday as it makes its way to the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Naklé said he was selected by Coca-Cola Italia to carry the torch for his longtime contributions to the LGBTQ community in Milan and across Italy.
“It is an immense honor and a deeply emotional experience,” Naklé told Outsports. “Carrying the Olympic Torch means sharing a universal symbol of unity, peace, inclusion, and togetherness.”
Naklé has help expand LGBTQ sports in Milan as founder and honorary president of Peacox Basket Milano, Italy’s first and only fully LGBTQ-inclusive basketball team. He is also an event manager at Pride Sport Milano, an umbrella organization bringing together multiple inclusive sports clubs and disciplines.
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He’s also a main organizer of Pride House Milano for the Winter Olympics.
“Together, these experiences reflect over a decade of work at the intersection of sport, visibility, and human rights,” he said.
Now ahead for Nakle is Pride House Milano, a project that has taken untold time and resources for him. Pride House is a location in Milan that will celebrate the LGBTQ community and sports during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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“Pride House Milano is much more than an event space — it is a statement and a legacy project,” he said. “At a time when LGBTQIA+ rights are regressing in many parts of the world, Pride House stands as a place of visibility, resistance, dialogue, and celebration.
He said that Pride House is also a beacon to remind the world, and the Olympic movement, that the LGBTQ community has to be included in the push for equality around the world.
“Through sport, culture and storytelling, we raise the rainbow flag high to affirm that inclusion is not optional, and that major global events like the Olympic Games must actively contribute to human rights, equality and lasting social impact.”
The first Pride House took place at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Since then, there has been a Pride House at every Olympic city (except when it’s been in Russia or China, in which case there were virtual Pride Houses).
The previous Pride House at the Paris Summer Olympics was right on the Seinne and drew tens of thousands of visitors. The next installation will be Pride House LA/West Hollywood, which has already been in the works for several years.
In the meantime, there will be Pride Houses during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in most, if not all, of the host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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The post Gay athlete organizing Pride House carries Olympic torch in Milan appeared first on Outsports.
