French ministry of sport grants FSGL/Equipe France 15,000 euros for Gay Games VIII

Bruno Aussenac, president of the FGG member organization FSGL (Fédération française sportive gaie et lesbienne/French national gay and lesbian sports federation) announced yesterday that the French ministry of sport would award the FSGL 15,000 euros for track suits to be worn by members of Equipe France at Gay Games VIII.

The suits will be part of the official Equipe France uniform, which will include a custom tshirt for Gay Games VIII*. The track suits, bearing the word FRANCE (used for French national teams), the logo of the ministry, and the motto of the FSGL, will be used for events beyond Gay Games VIII, whether for tournaments or future multisport events (Gay Games, EuroGames, etc.).

The letter of confirmation, signed by Secretary of State for Sports Rama Yade (left), speaks of the support for the FSGL's work to fight discrimination in sport, as represented in the FSGL's new motto : "Contre les discriminations, faisons du sport ensemble" (Against all forms of discrimination, let's play sport together).

Equipe France, chaired by FSGL delegate to the FGG Christelle Foucault, continues its work toward its goal of more than 500 French athletes at Gay Games VIII. An aggressive scholarship program has raised thousands of euros for scholarships, and a grant from the city of Paris have been requested to expand the scholarship program to allow all athletes in France to participate, regardless of their financial resources. Among the projects currently being developed is a special Thalys train from Paris to Cologne, transporting more than 300 participants together to Gay Games VIII.

*A reminder that your city team or sports and culture group coming to Gay Games VIII can request the use of the FGG and Gay Games VIII logos on your team uniform. Write to Doug Litwin at dlitwin@gaygames.org for more info on this possibility.