WARNING FROM OLYMPIC DIVER TOM DALEY

 

WHO IS TOM DALEY?

Tom Daley is the extremely popular British diver who began his international competitive diving career in 2008 at the age of 13. Since then, he has competed around the world in both synchronized and individual diving events. Daley and diving partner Matty Lee won the Gold Medal in Men’s Synchronized 10 Meter Platform Diving at the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo. In 2024, at the Paris Olympic Games, Daley and Noah Williams captured the Silver Medal in the same event. After the games, Tom Daley announced his retirement from competitive diving at the age of 30. (For coverage of his retirement announcement, please CLICK HERE.)

As one of the most well-known successful competitive divers and openly gay athletes of all time, Daley has taken the opportunity to spread a critical message to the public at large.

DON’T DRINK AND DIVE!

From David Hudson on "QUEERTY" August 14, 2024, we learn that Tom Daley posted a message advertising a partnership with “Malibu” brand of alcoholic beverages. That video ends with a very serious message. The video starts with the British diver walking beside a pool. He’s carrying a drink that he hands to someone. He then hops up on a diving board. As he approaches the end of the diving board, he spots a warning written on the bottom of the pool. It says, “1 in 4 UK drownings involve alcohol.”

That’s an incredible statistic and something that we here in the US should mind as the scorching summer heat encourages people to both partake in alcoholic beverages and flock to pools and other bodies of water. 

As the message continues, Daley turns around to reveal a message on his swimming trunks that states, “Don’t drink and dive.”

See the entire video here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1iqLyjKtas

EXTREME HEAT = 3X DROWNINGS 

The Royal Life Saving Society UK shared that accidental drownings triple in number during extreme heat conditions. Consuming alcohol can impair one’s ability and cloud judgment about when it’s safe to swim. Daley’s own brand, “Made with Love” created and sells various knitted products with this message. If you weren’t already aware, Tom Daley is also known as “The Knitting Olympian” for his avid and talented knitting during the Olympic Games. Check out his website, bytomdaley.com if you’re interested in what his company offers.

BE SAFE AND BE QUEER

Now that he has retired from competitive driving, Daly lives with his husband, screenwriter and
producer Dustin Lance Black and serves as an assistant diving coach at UCLA. As a champion of the “Don’t Drink and Drive” message, Daley is contributing to the movement to reduce accidental drowning. As a proud openly “out” Olympic athlete, he helps spread the message of equality for everyone. For those reasons, we all thank Tom Daley for his contributions to the public discourse. And of course, as the Castro Car Guy I have to add, please remember, "Don't Drink and Drive." An average of 11,000 people in the US die as a result from drunk driving annually. So many other "safe" options. So, "Be Safe!"