Greg Louganis Sells Olympic Medals, Moves to Panama
The Olympic diving legend says his relocation is about rediscovery, joining a wave of LGBTQ celebrities leaving the U.S.
Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis has sold his California home and auctioned three of his Olympic medals as part of a major life change: relocating to Panama.
“As life moves forward, what are you prepared to leave behind?” he wrote in a Facebook post announcing the move. “I am 65 years old, and I am asking just that. I am no longer who I used to think I was.”
The decision marks a shift from a 2023 statement in which Louganis said the proceeds would help fund the Damien Center, Indiana’s oldest and largest AIDS services provider, which recently lost government funding for critical health care programs.
“I needed the money. While many people may have built businesses and sold them for a profit, I had my medals, which I am grateful for,” he explained.
Often described as “the greatest diver in history,” Louganis is the only man — and just the second person — to sweep the diving events in two consecutive Olympic Games. He earned four gold medals in the 3m Springboard and 10m Platform at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, after winning silver in the 10m Platform at the 1976 Games.
Louganis also became a prominent advocate for gay rights and HIV awareness. Diagnosed with HIV just six months before the 1988 Olympics, he came out publicly as HIV-positive in a 1995 interview with Barbara Walters, a year after coming out as gay.
Louganis views the move to Panama as an opportunity to rediscover himself.
“Now I get to discover who is Greg Louganis? Without the distraction and noise from outside. At least this is my goal, and hey, I may not find that,” the Olympic diver wrote. “I think I may find it at times, in moments. My goal is to live it — to discover, allow, and nurture that human spirit through the experiences of life.”
While Louganis frames his move as more philosophical than political, it comes amid a growing exodus of LGBTQ celebrities from the United States.
Actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell confirmed in a March 2025 TikTok video that she has moved to Ireland. Her decision comes after years of feuding with President Donald Trump, who has recently renewed his attacks on her.
“Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child,” O’Donnell said. “When it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, married since 2008, also recently moved to the United Kingdom.
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in.’ And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here,’” DeGeneres told an English audience in July 2025.
Stay connected to the latest stories on LGBTQ culture, politics, and icons. Subscribe for free to Metro Weekly’s digital magazine today.
More from Metro Weekly:
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.