In the case of Louganis, the secrets are staggering. We are fascinated by Olympic champions and we jump at the chance to learn their secrets. But Greg Louganis sick with AIDS is a tragedy, not an opportunity. Breaking the news of his fatal illness by using Barbara Walters, the wide-ranging promos of ABC News, and the cover of People magazine to coincide with the publication of his autobiography is a brilliant marketing strategy. If you read his book, you will also forgive him what looks like an insincere marketing ploy. Greg acted with honor in the face of a situation that no one had ever even imagined before. Olympic Committee has announced that they will not require athletes to declare their HIV status. And still, after Greg’s admission, the U.S. Magic Johnson’s revelation did not come until 1991. If you read his book, “Breaking the Surface,” you will forgive Greg Louganis for his decision at that time. Commentators have been asking: Shouldn’t he have told someone, as a trace of his blood fanned into the diving pool, to protect the other divers from infection? Shouldn’t he have told the doctor who stitched his scalp without using rubber gloves? As the story broke, the overriding focus was on Greg’s crisis of conscience after he split his head open on the 3-meter board in a preliminary round.
Millions of us were shocked to learn last week that Olympic diving hero Greg Louganis has AIDS and that he was aware of his HIV-positive status at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988.
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