“Be part of it!” is the slogan of edition VIII of the Gay Games. This event brings everyone together and all are encouraged to “Be part of it!” to show tolerance. All can take part, regardless of sexual orientation whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, or transgender.
Sport: These are the 34 sport disciplines:
Aquatics – Diving
Aquatics – Swimming
Aquatics – Synch
Swimming
Aquatics – Water polo
Badminton
Basketball
Beach Volleyball
Billiards
Bodybuilding
Bowling
Chess
Cycling
Dance Sport
Field Hockey
Figure Skating
Golf
Ice Hockey
Inline Speed Skating
Martial Arts
Power Lifting
Road Races
(incl. Marathon)
Sailing
Soccer (Football)
Softball
Sport Climbing
Sport Shooting
Squash
Table Tennis
Team Handball
Tennis
Track and Field
Triathlon
Volleyball
Wrestling
More than 40% of the 34 sports disciplines will take place at Cologne’s famous 135-acre Müngersdorfer Sportpark, the site of the German Sports University, with all other sports (except sailing) occurring within 20 minutes of the center of Cologne.
Culture: Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 will also present a culture program with an “International Rainbow Memorial Run,” a “Visual Arts Event” and Choral and Band Festivals.
Thousands of participants from around the world will meet in Cologne, Germany, from July 31 to August 7, 2010, to compete and perform while seeking more tolerance towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals. The program offers an inspiring Opening and Closing Ceremony, 34 different sports, four cultural events and an associated arts festival.
Pre-registration is now open. Participants are able to reserve their place via our pre-registration system at www.games-cologne.com.
About Cologne
A picturesque city located on the Rhine River, Cologne (Köln) is Germany’s 4th largest city with more than one million inhabitants in a ten million person metropolitan area. Cologne has a vibrant history dating back more than 2,000 years, settled by Germanic tribes and acknowledged as the city of “Colonia” by the Romans in 50 AD. Despite widespread bombing damage during World War II, Cologne’s most recognizable landmark, the Cologne Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), survived. Cologne was rebuilt and now serves as a key European commercial, sports, culture and media center. Known to many as the LGBT capital of Germany, Cologne hosts one of the largest European pride festivals (Christopher Street Days) and has the continent’s oldest city-wide LGBT sports club (s.c. Janus). Easily accessible via Cologne, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf airports, and via high-speed European trains, Cologne has an extensive and inexpensive public transit system. With the full support of their local government and business community, Gay Games VIII will give attendees a chance to affordably experience one of Europe’s oldest LGBT-friendly cities.
About The Gay Games
The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982 with 1,350 participants. Subsequent Gay Games have been held in San Francisco (1986; 3,500 participants), Vancouver (1990; 7,300 participants), New York (1994; 12,500 participants), Amsterdam (1998; 13,000 participants), Sydney (2002; 11,000 participants) and Chicago (2006, 11,500 participants). The Federation of Gay Games is the international governing body that perpetuates the quadrennial Gay Games and promotes the event's founding principles of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best™. For more information, visit www.gaygames.com.
Updates: To receive Gay Games VIII e-newsletters on a regular basis, visit www.games-cologne.com.
Contact: Games Cologne gGmbH / Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010, Mittelstrasse 52-54, D-50672 Cologne/Köln.
www.games-cologne.com