In 1984, I was a 19-year-old rising tennis star with a huge secret. I was competing at the USTA national tennis center in New York, home of the U.S. Open tennis championships. I was competing at the United States Olympic tennis trials. My number one goal was to make the 1984 Olympic team, being held in Los Angeles.

All I could think about was watching the Olympics with my mom. My mom loved the Olympics more than any other sporting event. Her passing before the Olympic trials was weighed heavily on me.

I was within two matches of making the team. I must say knowing that I was different and very likely gay was a heavy burden in my mind. I knew that if I made the United States Olympic team, the stress of my secret would be overwhelming and create a massive amount of fear of me being outed. I truthfully believe that is why as I inched closer to making the team my performance began to waiver.

I did not make the United States Olympic team that year in 1984. Two years later, I was chosen to be on the 1986 Goodwill games team, which was the near equivalent of the United States Olympic team in those days. Again, the turmoil and internal stress was very challenging. We were competing in Russia, which based on what I had heard about what they did to gay people in Russia had my emotions in overdrive.

The memories of what I went through and felt came back to me. As I went down this path of memory lane, I quickly began to celebrate I made it through those very tough years and I am here today as a proud and celebrated member of our community.

The fact that we have a record of 193 LGBTQ athletes who have competed in Paris from all over the world is incredible. My true hope is that they understand the power that they have all over the world to inspire other young people to come out and live their truth and ultimately their best life.

I also want to congratulate the media outlets for their coverage.

I only can dream that I would’ve had such freedom to be myself, which I know would’ve certainly given me the ability to play my very best tennis. I hope “Hiding Inside The Baseline,” a book I wrote 10 years ago about my gay journey as a young in the closet gay athlete, has made some difference in how young athletes from around the world look to embrace their truth, accept who they are as they work to be their very best on the courts, fields in the classroom and one day in the world as thriving happy adults.

Bobby Blair is a LGBTQ media pioneer and leader known for his philanthropic work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. A Florida native, he lives in Fort Lauderdale with his longtime partner, Brian Neal. Blair was inducted into the GLBT Hall of Fame in 2015.