Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis speaks at DPC dinner

Greg Louganis was the keynote speaker at the Drowning Prevention Coalition of El Paso annual fundraiser.

“There are a lot of tragedies that happen. This morning I had breakfast with parents who have lost their children to drowning accidents,” Louganis said.

Louganis was keynote speaker at this year’s Respect the Water Dinner. DPC was formed four years ago with numerous other city organizations. Its goal is to promote, develop and support training and education efforts to prevent drowning, near drowning and other water related incidents in our area.

Louganis has had a few close call injuries himself while diving, as seen in a springboard video from the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

He continues to be an inspiration for athletes across the world, even though he no longer competes, and offered advice for high school teens training for or beginning their seasons soon. “It’s so important to play games, have fun and really push yourself,” he said.

Louganis won a total of five Olympic medals, five world championship titles and 47 national titles. He is openly gay and HIV positive. On Thursday, he said he admires athletes who feel comfortable enough to come out about their sexuality, such as Australian diver Matthew Mitcham who won gold during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.