Participation makes us all winners!

"Welcome to a dream that is now reality.

"Welcome to a celebration of freedom.

"These Gay Games, the first of their kind, are offered to Gay and enlightened people from all over the world. They are a departure from other events of this scope and magnitude in that the underlying philosophy is one of self-fulfillment and a spirit of friendship exemplary for wholesome and healthy athletes, devoid of the notion that beating someone is the sole criterion for winning. Participation makes us all winners."

— Dr. Tom Waddell, 1982