ZURICH: A player on Switzerlands 3×3 basketball team publicly came out as gay on Friday.
Marco Lehmann announced his sexuality one month after playing at the 3×3 World Tour finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This is for the future generations so they can live a free sporting life without hiding, the 27-year-old Lehmann said in an article published on the international basketball federation’s website.
Lehmann said he started having panic attacks in December 2019 despite success on the court as a professional. He had a top-15 world ranking in the street format of the game, which will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo this year. Switzerland, however, did not qualify for the delayed Tokyo Games.
I was definitely living the dream. And yet I wasnt happy, said Lehmann, recalling anti-gay comments made by teammates and coaches.
This is why a lot of young guys quit playing team sports when they discover theyre gay,” he wrote. “Now if youll excuse me, Im trying to win a World Tour and bring Switzerland to the 2024 Olympics.
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