Inside Sport - 24/05/2010

The admission from rugby star Gareth Thomas that he is gay, along with a number of other sports people from around the world making public their sexuality, has led some to argue that the professional sporting arena is now a place where homosexual men and women can participate and enjoy the same freedoms as everyone else. But with the world's most popular game, football, still outwardly 100% heterosexual, journalist Mark Chapman investigates whether we really are seeing the smashing of sport's last taboo. Two decades after the world's only openly gay footballer committed suicide, Mark journeys across the UK and Ireland meeting gay and straight sporting figures including Gareth Thomas, Donal Cusack and Martina Navratilova, to find out why it is so difficult for gay athletes to be open about their sexuality. And what are the consequences if they are? It's a journey that leaves Mark with some surprising conclusions as to why gay professional sportspeople still prefer to stay hidden.