There are few out LGBT athletes at the Commonwealth Games for good reason.

Mr Mitcham (pictured competing at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014) Getty Images

A former Olympic diver has revealed how hard it is for Commonwealth Games athletes to come out as gay, partly because being homosexual is illegal in some of the competing countries.

Australia’s Matthew Mitcham said there was likely many athletes still ‘in the closet’ out of the 6,600 at the Games, who hadn’t come out due to fear of being punished.