There is dispute over whether Wassmer voluntarily resigned or was forced out. The Federation of Gay Games, in a press release, said Wassmer stepped down but will remain a board member. Wassmer, when contacted by Outsports, had a different take.

"I was forced to resign," Wassmer said. "I was told there was a very vocal group that was going to put it up for an e-mail vote in front of the 63 [Federation] directors."

What is not in dispute is that Wassmer’s relationship with the executive committee of the Federation grew increasingly contentious the past month.

Many directors were angry at remarks attributed to him in July in the Sydney Star-Observer, suggesting next year’s Gay Games could be moved. The Sydney 2002 Games effort has been plagued by a lack of sponsors and organization turmoil, with its new CEO on the job for just two months. However, Wassmer’s view of the Sydney problems was affirmed in a June 27 e-mail sent above the names of the executive committee and not repudiated until details were published by Outsports.

Wassmer said his comments in the Star-Observer ``were taken out of context which is why they weren’t repeated in any other paper.’’

"[The Sydney organizers] not having gotten sponsors since November 1997 isn’t the result of three sentences in the Sydney Star-Observer that 15,000 people saw," Wassmer added.

The rift between Wassmer and other Federation members seems to be over the scale and scope of the Games.

Wassmer said he was from the group that believes the Games should be the "Olympics for gays" with all the pomp, pageantry, amenities, venues and attention that the Olympics have. Others believe that the Gay Games should be more intimate, citing financial struggles of the 1994 and 1998 Games.

Wassmer’s vision necessitates much more intensive fundraising, and he said this was why he was elected and re-elected. He added Sydney won the bid for 2002, "because it was going to be the ‘Olympics for gays’." He also says that that vision was, ultimately, why one group in the Federation sought his departure.

Wassmer said there was a reluctance of many in the Federation to do what was needed to do, such as bringing on sponsors like Budweiser, Nike and Chrysler, to elevate the Sydney Games to that level of event that they have been promising. He also questions whether the now-dominant philosophy of the Federation of Gay Games will allow for enough sponsor money for that to happen.

"Are we a non-profit corporation, or are we ‘Kumbaya’?" Wassmer asked.

Sydney 2002 is under the gun to reach its budget goals of $10 million AUD (approximately $5 million U.S.). With less than 15 months before the Nov. 2 opening ceremonies, the group has only three sponsors, according to the Sydney Morning-Herald. CEO Geoffrey Williams told the paper he wants between seven and 10 sponsors.

``I'm not worried about the ones we have. I love them. I want to marry all of them. I'm worried about the ones we don't have,'' he told the paper.

The Federation issued a vote of confidence for Sydney following a weeklong visit by a delegation in July. Wassmer was not part of the site visit and his tenure ended two weeks after the group returned.

Dermody said he had no comment on Wassmer’s departure. Attempts to reach female co-president Sue Emerson were unsuccessful. Dermody will serve as co-president until the Federation October meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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