The Cleveland City Council on Monday pledged $700,000 to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission to help the city’s bid to land the 2014 Gay Games. The news, first reported by Spangle Magazine, should provide a boost to Cleveland as it competes against Boston and Washington DC for the Games. The Federation of Gay Games will award the bid at its meeting in Cologne, Germany, on Sept. 29.

“We’re showing in good faith that we want to bring the Gay Games here and are willing to put up some cash,” Tracey Nichols, Mayor Frank Jackson’s economic development director, said. “We need to show that this is a strong commitment.”

The Cleveland City Council on Monday pledged $700,000 to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission to help the city’s bid to land the 2014 Gay Games. The news, first reported by Spangle Magazine, should provide a boost to Cleveland as it competes against Boston and Washington DC for the Games. The Federation of Gay Games will award the bid at its meeting in Cologne, Germany, on Sept. 29.

“We’re showing in good faith that we want to bring the Gay Games here and are willing to put up some cash,” Tracey Nichols, Mayor Frank Jackson’s economic development director, said. “We need to show that this is a strong commitment.”

The $700,000 would be a fraction of what it costs to host the games. The money would come from the city’s Urban Development Action Grant repayment fund, which includes money paid on real estate loans issued mostly for downtown projects in the 1980s and ’90s.

Spangle also reported that the city council pledged “$1.3 million of in-kind donations, including police, barricades and use of Browns Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies.” The total Cleveland bid is projected to be $8.2 million.

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