Four Cities Named Finalists for 2014 Gay Games

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS: Kevin Boyer, FGG Spokesperson, Kevin.Boyer@allterrain.net, +1 312-588-3713

Boston, Cleveland , Miami and Washington DC Will Bid to host Gay Games IX

Cape Town, South Africa (28 October 2008) -- Groups from Miami (Florida), Cleveland (Ohio) Boston (Massachusetts), and Washington (D.C.), have submitted letters of intent to bid for the ninth edition of the Gay Games, to be held in 2014, officials announced at the close of the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) annual meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.

“Fourteen (14) cities worldwide had expressed interest in hosting the 2014 Gay Games,” said Darl Schaaff, co-chair of the Federation’s Site Selection Committee. “We are very excited to now have four highly qualified bidders for the 2014 Gay Games who met the 20 October 2008 letter-of-intent deadline.”

Bid documents are due to the FGG in March of 2009. FGG Site inspectors will then visit each city between May and August of 2009. After final multi-media presentations, the 2014 Gay Games host city will then be selected by the Federation of Gay Games Assembly at its 2009 annual meeting in Cologne , Germany next October. The FGG Assembly is comprised of organisations representing sports clubs, city teams, and cultural groups from around the globe.

Previous Gay Games have been held in San Francisco , USA (1982, 1986), Vancouver , Canada (1990), New York , USA (1994), Amsterdam , The Netherlands (1998), Sydney , Australia (2002) and Chicago , USA (2006). Gay Games VIII will be held 31 July – 7 August 2010 in Cologne , Germany . Gay Games Cologne registration officially launches worldwide on 31 October 2008 at www.games-cologne.com.

Organisers from Cleveland and Miami had representatives present in Cape Town , South Africa , in support of their intent to bid for Gay Games IX 2014.

The Gay Games is the largest and longest running multi-sport event on the international LGBT calendar, with more than eleven thousand participants taking part in approximately 30 sports and cultural events every four years. Ever since the organisers of the first two Gay Games in San Francisco decided to send the event to other cities, groups from dozens of cities on four continents have sought the honour of hosting the Gay Games. A wide range of government officials, Olympic athletes, celebrities and community leaders now support local bid groups in their efforts to showcase the Gay Games.

“We extend our best wishes to the groups from Boston , Cleveland , Miami , and Washington D.C. who have entered this stage of the bidding process,” Communications Officer Kelly Stevens said. “The FGG looks forward to working with them during the bidding cycle.”

For information on how to sponsor or participate in Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010, visit www.games-cologne.com. For information concerning sponsors of the Federation of Gay Games, go to www.gaygames.org. Images for press and promotion of Gay Games are available on the gallery link at www.gaygames.org or by request.

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About The Federation of Gay Games:

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”™. The Gay Games were conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and were first held in San Francisco in 1982. Participation in the Gay Games is open to anyone without pre-qualifications regardless of sexual orientation, physical ability, age, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religions, political conviction, race, or health status. For more information, visit www.gaygames.org.

“Gay Games”, “Federation of Gay Games”, the interlocking circles device, and the phrase “Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best” are trademarks of the Federation of Gay Games, Inc. Trademarks are registered in the USA , Canada , Benelux, the UK , Germany and Australia .

Kevin Boyer

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