Hong Kong Chosen To Host 2022 Gay Games

Hong Kong will be the first Asian city to host the Gay Games having won the right to present the eleventh edition of the LGBT athletic event in 2022.

From OutSports:

Hong Kong was one of three finalist cities, along with Guadalajara, Mexico, and Washington D.C.

It marks the second time a city outside of North America and Europe will host the quadrennial event and the first time a city in Asia has been selected as the host. The FGG has made a commitment to diversity and expanding outside of North America and Europe with scholarship funds and other efforts. The selection of the Chinese city strengthens that commitment.

The Gay Games started in 1982 in San Francisco as the brainchild of former Olympian Tom Waddell, who was seeking to bridge the divide between the LGBT community and the sports world. Past host cities have been Vancouver, New York, Amsterdam, Sydney, Chicago, Cologne and Cleveland.

Gay Games X will take place in Paris next August. Organizers expect about 10,000 participants across 36 sports. If you’re interested in participating, visit the Paris 2018 Web site.

Cleveland: Gay Games 9 Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of Gay Games 9 was held last night in Cleveland at the Q Arena.

The team from San Francisco led the athletes into the arena, but the Russian team saw special support when announced due to the recent anti-gay legislation and rhetoric in the country.

Over 9,000 participants and 20,000 spectators will enjoy 35 athletic competitions in the Cleveland/Akron area over the next week.

During the ceremonies, a greeting sent from President Obama was played welcoming the athletes and spectators. Obama referenced the struggles of Russian gays in his greeting:

"I know some of you have come from places where it requires courage, even defiance, to come out - some times at great personal risk. You should know that the United States stands with you and for your human rights - just as our athletes stand with you on the field at these Games.

"After all, the very idea of America is that no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, or who you love - you can make it if you try. That's who we are and that's who we should continually strive to be."

2014 Gay Games commercial to air during Olympic telecast

Organizers of the 2014 Gay Games will give viewers of tonight’s Winter Olympics opening ceremonies a subtle reminder of the anti-LGBT atmosphere in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Thirty-second commercials for the Gay Games are set to air during NBC’s telecast in Columbus, Dayton and Toledo, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; and the host cities of Cleveland and Akron.

The Gay Games, an international event that takes place every four years, are scheduled for Aug. 9-16 in Cleveland and Akron. About 10,000 competitors and another 20,000 spectators are expected from around the world.

“These are great times we live in – exciting, complicated, extraordinary times,” a narrator says as the commercial begins with scenes of Gay Games medals, athletes, welcoming residents of northeastern Ohio and Cleveland’s annual Pride festival.

“And while the rest of the world tries to decide what its legacy will be, here in the United States we have a running start. This summer, the most inclusive sporting event in the world will take place in Ohio.”

The commercial ends with Gay Games information and a shot of Cleveland’s Terminal Tower lit in rainbow-flag colors.

“It’s our time,” the narrator says. “The world is watching.”

(from LGBTQ Nation)

United Airlines signs on as 2014 Gay Games airline partner

United Airlines has announced they will be an exclusive airline partner of the 2014 Gay Games to be held in Cleveland, OH. from Aug 9 through 16 next year.

The 2014 Gay Games are expected to attract approximately 30,000 visitors, including 11,000 athletes from around the world. The Games are open to athletes regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity or ability. Medals are awarded in more than 35 sports. The Gay Games also includes a line-up of related cultural events.

Nene Foxhall, United's executive vice president for communications and government affairs, said "We are pleased to support an event that so closely reflects United's culture of diversity and inclusion."

Added Tom Nobbe, executive director of Gay Games 9, the not-for-profit organization presenting the the 2014 Gay Games: "We are excited to have an airline partner that has the reach to easily get our global and domestic visitors to Northeast Ohio for next year's Gay Games."

(via BizJournals)