The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association ( NLGJA ) contacted TV station NBC concerning the Olympic coverage of Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, who upset the favorites to the gold medal in 10-meter platform diving. NLGJA expressed its concern and disappointment over the station's exclusion of Mitcham's sexual orientation.
In a response, NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel said, 'We regret that we missed the opportunity to tell Matthew Mitcham's story. We apologize for this unintentional omission.'
NLGJA, in a press release, did praise NBC's overall coverage of the Olympics, but stated, ' [ w ] hen Mitcham, whose pre-Games coming out of the closet was an international news event, pulled off a diving upset that prevented a Chinese gold-medal sweep, NBC announcers failed to offer any compelling background on the person [ al ] life of a new, intriguing star even as they had it at their fingertips,' noting that Mitcham's coming-out was in his biography.
The organization went on to say that 'virtually all the athletes who celebrated with their spouses and families were shown doing so. Mitcham's partner, Lachlan Fletcher, was not shown.' NLGJA urged NBC to include LGBT athletes in future coverages.