Greg Louganis Gives Update After Selling Olympic Medals to Leave U.S.A.

Olympic legend Greg Louganis gave an update about his new life in Panama after selling some of his medals to afford a move out of the United States.

“Basically what I’ve told all of my friends and the people that are close to me is that I’m embracing the ‘I don’t know,’” Louganis, 65, said in a video posted via Instagram on Monday, September 8. 

Louganis, a five-time Olympic medalist in diving, announced last month that he had “auctioned off” three of his medals and his sold house in the States ahead of his Panamanian sojourn. 

“I needed the money,” Louganis wrote via Facebook on August 29. 

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Louganis explained he hadn’t decided on moving full-time to Panama, and expressed interest in exploring other parts of the world during this new chapter. 

“I have several places that I’d really like to check out before I land,” Louganis said. “Panama is one of them, mostly because a friend of mine reached out to me and wanted me here.”

He continued, “That’s the one thing I realized in California. I really didn’t feel connected. I didn’t have community. So that’s what I was really looking for.”

Louganis revealed he is currently staying in Boquete, a small town in western Panama, which he said is listed as “one of the top three most affordable places to retire.”

“Out of curiosity, I just wanted to check it out,” he continued. “I’ve met some wonderful people down here in the expat community and all that.”

In his Facebook post last month, Louganis explained he was inspired to distance himself from material possessions after he had “many friends” lose their homes in the devastating January California wildfires. 

“I know I am choosing to do this, but their resilience is an inspiration for me to start anew, with an open heart and an open door,” Louganis wrote. “Opening up to possibilities. I realized I often close myself off, shut myself down, and play small for the comfort of others.”

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He added, “I don’t think I have realized or given myself credit for what I might be able to accomplish.”

Louganis also discussed his decorated diving career, admitting he felt like a “creation” of his coach, Ron O’Brien. 

“I was honored, proud, and blessed to have been that for him,” Louganis said. “It was all achieved with love at the core. Now I get to discover who is Greg Louganis? Without the distraction and noise from outside. At least this is my goal, and hey, I may not find that.”

He continued, “I think I may find it at times, in moments, my goal is to live it! Discover, allow, and nurture that human spirit through the experiences of life. To be joyful in the moments, embrace the grief, the anger, and the laughter, and embrace it all, feel it all in this experience we call our lives.”