Seattle journalist gets preview of Gay Games VIII

Cologne gets ready for Gay Games VIII

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer

Tucked into a small building on Rudolfplatz, a popular square in central Cologne where the illuminated signs of Gay sex-toy shops and Starbucks greet thousands of passers-by each day, you'll find the humble and well-kept offices of the Gay Games organizing committee. A large digital clock, ticking down the minutes and seconds to the event, is mounted on one side of the main room, while posters, postcards, and stick pins are located in piles here and there, and just about everywhere. Excitedly busy, the staff answers more e-mails, schedules more meetings, writes more press releases, and processes more applications, all the while noticing precious seconds vanishing from the countdown clock.

Last month, after a rowdy Carnival festival that flooded the streets with costume-clad partiers, I spent an afternoon in Cologne with Michael Klein, the public relations and communications director for Gay Games. We met across the street from the famed Cathedral, then Klein kindly drove me to the campus of The German Sports University, where half of the sporting competitions and opening/closing ceremonies will take place.

A liaison for Gay Games and the college, which attracts students and Olympic-bound athletes from Europe and as far away as the United States, guided us through gymnasiums, cafeterias, aquatic centers, lecture halls, and locker rooms that will be used for sporting and cultural events next summer. It was an impressive tour, as Klein is quick to point out not only which event is taking place at each specific venue, but he also gives me particular details, like a meal plan that will allow participants to choose from four separate menus (vegetarian, etc.).

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