A boxer claims that he wanted to wear a dress to the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics to break gender stereotypes.

According to Daily Mail, Australian athlete Harry Garside has opened up about how he wanted to proudly express his femininity in a new interview.

The 24-year-old spoke about how he enjoys painting his nails, loves ballet, and how he wanted to make a gender-busting fashion statement during the Games.

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Speaking to reporters after his quarter-final victory against Kazakhstan's Zakir Safiullin, Garside stated: "I got these [rainbow-painted nails] today. I just want to break stereotypes, to be honest. I'm a big one for that.

"There's a lot of people out there who feel like they have to be something because they're a male or a female. I'm all about just being different."

He continued: "I was going to wear a dress to the opening ceremony, but I didn't want to offend anyone. I feel like some people might take it the wrong way, so this is my way of showcasing something.

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He also spoke about his love of ballet, stating: "I'm not going to lie, I'd always wanted to try ballet. I say I do it for boxing, but really, I have always wanted to dance.

"Ballet's very tough, the power through the legs that they generate, the coordination, everything is just so extreme."

The plumber is due to take on Cuban boxer Andy Cruz when he steps into the ring on Friday - where the winner will progress to Sunday's gold medal match.

But Garside is not the only person at the Olympics to champion diversity.

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For example, 27-year-old British swimmer Tom Daley recently spoke about the importance of representation for LGBTQ+ youth as a gay Olympic athlete.

According to Today, Daley told reporters at a press conference: "I feel incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion.

"And I feel very empowered by that because when I was younger, I thought I was never going to be anything, or achieve anything, because of who I was, and to be an Olympic champion now just shows that you can achieve anything."

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/REUTERS

Olympian boxer wanted to wear dress at the opening ceremony to 'break' gender stereotypes