We hope that the Commonwealth Sports movement is playing a

"We hope that the Commonwealth Sports movement is playing a meaningful role in the wider global conversation around tolerance, empowerment, and legal recognition for all." Thus spoke Tom Daley, Olympic champion and advocate, whose voice extends beyond the pools and podiums into the realm of justice and human dignity. His words carry the force of both aspiration and challenge: that sport, which unites nations in competition and celebration, must also serve as a beacon for tolerance, a vessel of empowerment, and a platform for legal recognition of every human being’s right to live in freedom and equality.

The origin of this wisdom is found in the long history of sport as more than mere contest. From the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, where rival city-states set aside their conflicts to honor the gods together, to the modern spectacles that draw billions of eyes, sport has always been a stage where deeper values are displayed. Daley’s vision builds on this legacy, calling upon the Commonwealth Sports movement—a gathering of nations bound by both history and diversity—to rise above medals and records, to become a voice in the greater struggle for justice across the world.

Consider the story of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, when Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists on the podium as a symbol of resistance to racial injustice. Their act was condemned by many at the time, yet history remembers it as one of the most powerful calls for empowerment and recognition in the history of sport. They understood, as Daley does, that athletes are not merely performers, but torchbearers of humanity’s struggles. Sport provides a stage—and upon that stage, the cry for justice can resound across nations.

Daley’s words also reflect his own life’s journey. As an openly gay athlete, he has witnessed both celebration and prejudice. His call for legal recognition speaks not only to the right of LGBTQ+ people to marry, to live free from discrimination, and to be honored in law, but to the broader truth that no athlete, no citizen, no human being should be forced to live in the shadows. His hope is that the Commonwealth Games, drawing together nations where rights are strong and nations where rights are weak, might become a catalyst for change—a mirror in which countries must confront their treatment of their own people.

The heroism of his words lies in the insistence that sport cannot remain neutral. For neutrality in the face of injustice is silence, and silence is complicity. By urging the Commonwealth to take up this mantle, Daley transforms sport into a global messenger: not only of human excellence, but of human solidarity. Through tolerance, differences are celebrated rather than feared. Through empowerment, voices once silenced are lifted high. Through legal recognition, dignity moves from aspiration into reality, protected by law and honored in society.

The lesson for us is clear: let us not see sport as mere entertainment, but as a platform for values that shape the destiny of nations. If games can bring countries together, they can also bring hearts together. If they can inspire the young to run, to swim, to dive, then they can also inspire societies to be more just, more open, more compassionate. The medals will one day gather dust, but the values embodied in these arenas can ripple through generations.

What practical steps must we take? Support movements that use sport as a tool for justice. Celebrate athletes who speak for the marginalized. Hold international sporting bodies accountable, ensuring they champion tolerance, empowerment, and legal recognition rather than turning a blind eye to injustice. And in our own lives, let us treat competition, teamwork, and play not only as leisure, but as a training ground for respect, empathy, and fairness.

So let Tom Daley’s words echo like a call across the stadiums of the world: sport must serve humanity, not only in spectacle but in justice. The Commonwealth, and indeed all communities bound together by games and contests, must not merely measure strength and speed, but also measure compassion, courage, and equality. For in the end, it is not only records that endure, but the values we dared to uphold when the world was watching.