Greg Louganis. Photo credit: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, via Wikimedia Commons
According to recent reports, Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis has decided to leave the United States and has relocated to Panama.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the 65-year-old explained that the move was a choice to “start anew, with an open heart and an open door.”
To finance this new chapter, Louganis sold his California home and, most notably, auctioned off three of his five Olympic medals—two golds and one silver—for a combined total of over $430,000. He openly stated, “I needed the money,” acknowledging that his career might have been different with “proper management.”
Louganis also mentioned that he was inspired by the resilience of friends who lost their homes in recent California wildfires, prompting him to reassess his own life and possessions. He expressed a desire to discover who he is “without the distraction and noise from outside” and to nurture his human spirit through new experiences.
The decision marks a significant personal transition for Louganis, a trailblazer who came out as gay in 1994 and disclosed his HIV-positive status a year later, using his platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS awareness.
