Where can I find information about Cologne's Gay Games VIII in 2010 and the immediate past Gay Games VII in Chicago?
-» Check out the Cologne Web site — www.games-cologne.com — for information about the first Gay Games of our second 25 years.
-» Go to Chicago Games Inc.'s Web site: — www.gaygameschicago.org — for results from Gay Games VII.

Where can I sign up for Federation of Gay Games press releases?
-» Visit the Stay in touch with us page.

Who are the Gay Games Ambassadors?
-» These are prominent international figures supporting the Gay Games movement. You can read about them on the Ambassadors page. The current Gay Games Ambassadors are:
• John Amaechi, former NBA player, U.K.
• Judith Arndt, world champion and Olympic silver medal cyclist, Germany
• Billy Bean, former professional baseball player, U.S.
• Amanda Bearse, actor and director, U.S.
• Tom Bianchi, photographer, U.S.
• Melissa Etheridge, rock star, U.S.
• Rudy Galindo, international figure skating champion, U.S.
• Bruce Hayes, Olympic gold medal swimmer, U.S.
• James Hormel, former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg
• Sir Elton John, singer, composer and musician, U.K.
• Billie Jean King, professional tennis champion, U.S.
• Dave Kopay, former National Football League player, U.S.
• Judith Light, actress and human rights/AIDS activist, U.S.
• Chris Morgan, world drug-free powerlifting silver medalist, U.K.
• Leigh-Ann Naidoo, Olympic beach volleyball player, South Africa
• Petra Rössner, Olympic gold medal cyclist, Germany
• Esera Tuaolo, former National Football League player, U.S.
• Ji Wallace, Olympic trampoline silver medalist, Australia

How can I get the Gay Games logo?
-» Visit the Gay Games logos page on this Web site. There are numerous samples there for downloading for internet or print purposes. If you can't find the logo to fill your needs, send a request to: logos@gaygames.org.

How can I get pictures of past Gay Games?
-» Visit the Gay Games photos page on this site to send a request.

How can I get on the Federation of Gay Games press release contact list?
-» Visit the Stay in touch with us page on this site.

Where can I learn about past Gay Games?
-» Start by going to the Gay Games section of this site. There you will find information about where and when previous Gay Games have been held, what sports were represented, how many participants were involved, and competition results. Recommended reading: "Gay Olympian: The Life and Death of Dr. Tom Waddell" ( Knopf, 1996; Tom Waddell and Dick Schaap); and "Out in the Castro" (Leyland Publications, 2002), the chapter "The Castro: Birthplace of the Gay Games Movement."

Who makes up the Federation of Gay Games Board of Directors, how can I contact them, and what is the organizational structure?
-» The FGG is a volunteer organization. It reorganized in November 2006 into a membership Assembly, composed of representatives of various LGBT sports and cultural organizations from around the globe, and a Board of Directors composed of elected Individual Directors.

Who are the current officers of the Federation of Gay Games?
-» See the Board of Directors page of this site.

When does the Federation board meet?
-» Committees of the Federation work throughout the year through the use of e-mail, the Federation Intranet, teleconferences, and occasionally in person. The full board meets face-to-face annually. The 2006 annual meeting was in November in Lyon, France. The 2007 annual meeting will be held in San Francisco to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first Gay Games. The dates are from 24-29 October. For more information, visit the 2007 Annual Meeting page.

Why was the Gay Games created and what purpose does it serve?
-» The Gay Games was conceived in June 1980 by 1968 U.S. Olympic decathlete Dr. Tom Waddell and his friend Mark Brown, then the sports editor for the Bay Area Reporter. The two were watching a local television event called the Gay Men's Bowling Tournament when they began discussing a multi-sport festival modeled on the Olympics. On 15 June 1980, Tom, Mark and Paul Mart, a former movie stuntman, held the first meeting of the group that would eventually become San Francisco Arts & Athletics, the organizing committee for Gay Games I and II.

The Gay Games was conceived as a "vehicle of change" and a way to dispel stereotypes. Now, in 2007, we celebrate the Gay Games' 25-year legacy of changing cultural, social and political attitudes towards LGBT people across the globe, at the same time empowering thousands and thousands with the transforming benefits of sports competition.

In 1981, gay athletes were a hidden community within the greater, marginalized LGBT community. All of that changed when the athletes marched into Kezar Stadium in 1982.

"The Gay Games are not separatist, they are not exclusive, they are not oriented to victory, and they are not for commercial gain," Waddell wrote after the first Gay Games. "They intended to bring a global community together in friendship, to experience participation, to elevate consciousness and self-esteem, and to achieve a form of cultural and intellectual synergy. We have the opportunity to take the initiative on critical issues that affect the quality of life."

The world listened. As the conservative Vancouver newspaper The Province editorialized before the opening of Gay Games III, "Almost a year ago, we called these Gay Games 'silly.' What's next? we asked. What, we queried, does sexual orientation have to do with the high jump? Since then, we've been educated. We've learned that these games are intended to build bridges, strengthen community and bolster self-esteem. Members of groups that bear the brunt of society's ignorance and fear need to make special efforts to support each other. And sometimes they need to stand up and be counted."

Twenty-five years later, from San Francisco to Vancouver to New York to Amsterdam to Sydney and next to Chicago, the Gay Games still change the world one athlete and one attitude at a time.

Are they still relevant in today's world?
-» We believe so.

In a speech at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared that sports "can play a role in improving the lives of individuals. Not only individuals, but whole communities. The time is right to build on that understanding."

Had he been at Gay Games I, he could have seen that message delivered 20 years earlier: Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best.

For more than two decades, supporters of the Gay Games have engaged in a labor of love: bringing together thousands of athletes every four years to show the world their pride, their poise and their passion. Every four years Gay Games participants converge to celebrate the empowerment of individual achievement and the triumph of collective cooperation.

A primary legacy of the Gay Games has been the athletes and artists themselves, enabling the genesis of countless LGBT athletic and cultural organisations.

The Gay Games have always worked for and are committed to social activism through sports and culture.

Creating safe opportunities is where the FGG has had its biggest impact.

By tackling the politically sensitive issues of inclusion of HIV and transgendered persons before the mainstream organisations did so, lobbying to change immigration policies, modifying the rules of sanctioning bodies to create openings for women, seniors and the physically challenged, and offering outreach assistance to persons of colour and under-represented geographic areas, the FGG has expanded the reach of gay sports and cultural programs.

The FGG works to ensure that LGBT athletes and friends have the chance to engage in sports in a safe and supportive environment which preserves rights, dignity, and respect. The FGG works to increase the involvement of women, seniors, transgendered, HIV persons at all levels and in all functions and roles in sport and sport organisation. The FGG works to ensure that the knowledge, experience, and values of the LGBT community contribute to the development of sport in the LGBT community and the mainstream sport community. We see ourselves as values driven rather than just event driven.

Specific values that we hold include: parity for women in all aspects of sports and sports organisation; inclusion of the physically challenged, persons of colour, seniors, trangendered, HIV-impacted, and those with other life-altering conditions. We work for inclusion of these individuals as participants, teachers, officials ... and as members of the FGG. Change the world with us through the joy of sports and culture.

Are the Gay Games simply a gay version of the Olympic Games?
-» The two events serve very different missions.

The Olympics are an elite event that require athletes to qualify through competition. They are not designed to serve as a participatory experience for the "common man."

The Gay Games, on the other hand, enable people from all walks of life to compete against each other regardless of skill level, age or physical challenge.

Do the Gay Games, in any way, hurt the way that gay athletes are perceived?
-» Quite the contrary. Participants have described the Gay Games as a positive life-altering experience. As the quote above from the Vancouver newspaper indicates, the Gay Games change perceptions for the better. London powerlifter Chris Morgan, for example, got his competitive start in the Gay Games and has gone on to achieve world class status in his sport, and widespread acceptance in his community.

What are the main goals of the Gay Games? Is the Gay Games simply athletic competition or is it also to draw social awareness to gay athletes?
-» The Gay Games is primarily designed to empower the participants, but certainly the great social legacy the Gay Games has had is in the molding of perceptions.

The Gay Games change political culture by challenging sports bodies, media and governments to create more opportunities for athletes regardless of sex, age or physical challenge.

A few historical highlights:

• HIV/AIDS. In 1994 the Games achieved a political milestone, convincing the U.S. Attorney General to allow HIV-infected individuals to enter the U.S. for Gay Games IV without special visas. The Designated Event Status (DES) draws attention to the ramifications of national policies restricting travel by AIDS-affected individuals. The Federation of Gay Games and CGI won that DES againg for the 2006 Chicago Gay Games. In sports that require drug testing, the FGG has worked with LGBT sports leaders to develop anti-doping policies that allow for athletes on banned medications.
• Gender. The Gay Games have offered women's wrestling since 1994: 10 years before the Athens Olympic Games. The Games offer 10 weight classes for women; the Olympics offer just four.
• Homophobia. Olympic champion diver Greg Louganis came out of the closet during the Opening Ceremonies of Gay Games IV, the same year the USOC gave him its highest award. In his acceptance speech, Louganis dedicated his award to Tom Waddell and successfully lobbied to prevent the 1996 Olympic volleyball competition from being held in homophobic Cobb County, Georgia.
• Ageism. Recognizing that seniors over 50 are forecast to be 25 percent of the GLBT community by 2020, the Chicago Gay Games have added new age categories in such sports as basketball, softball, volleyball and wrestling. These are in addition to the many Gay Games sports which already have age categories including aquatics, cycling, figure-skating, physique, power lifting, racquetball, road racing, tennis, track and field, and triathlon.
• Gender. Gay Games policies for including transgendered athletes in 2002 set the tone for the Olympics and others to follow.

• Since 1994, each Gay Games has drawn an average of more than 12,000 participants. That is comparable to the Summer Olympics.
• The organizations that make up the Federation of Gay Games represent roughly 40,000 individuals worldwide and 100,000 athletes through affiliated organizations.
• The 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam drew an estimated 250,000 spectators. The last time the Gay Games were in North America, 1994 in New York during the Stonewall Celebration, the Games drew more than 500,000 spectators.
• Amsterdam estimated its tourism windfall for Gay Games V at $55 million. Sydney's Gay Games VI estimated an impact of $60 million.
• For the return of the Gay Games to North America, the estimated local impact was predicted to be about $130 million in 2006.