Gold medallist Matthew Mitcham is among Australian Olympians taking part in a float at Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in a move they hope combats homophobia in sport.
Organised by former Olympic champion swimmer Daniel Kowalski, about 80 Olympians and Paralympians and family and friends will parade with the float at the annual parade on Saturday night.
"Sport is one of the last bastions in this country to have really failed to embrace the LGBTIQ community," Kowalski told AAP on Friday.
"And it's really been in the last 18 months, two years, where there has been a bit of a groundswell - but there's still a long way to go."
About 30 gay Olympians and Paralympians, including Mitcham, basketballer Shelley Gorman, footballer Sally Shipard and retired footballer and Olympic bobsleigh hopeful Simon Dunn, would be joined by family and friends.
The group boasts more than 20 Olympic and Paralympic medals and represent 13 Olympic sports.
The centrepiece of the float will be a rainbow-coloured Christ the Redeemer, a copy of the landmark statue in Rio de Janeiro, host city of this August's Olympic Game.
"It's all about accepting inclusiveness and diversity, and I think that is done every day in the sporting arena," Kowalski said.
"The majority are straight allies on the float, so hopefully young boys and girls and men and women can see that you're accepted regardless of your sexuality.
"And that if you have hopes and dreams of being an elite athlete and are worried that your sexuality will cause issues or hold you back or not allow you to reach your potential, hopefully this sends a message that you'll be accepted."
The float has been endorsed by the Australian Olympic Committee and Australian Paralympic Committee.
"I wouldn't have done it without them," Kowalski said.
"As one of the main governing bodies for non-professional sports in this country, it was really important to have their endorsement."
