"GAY GAMES" 2010
So beautiful is Homolympia
By AXEL HILL
(photo of Ambassador Ulrike Folkerts from TV series Tatort)
This will be the hottest week of the year: From 31 July to 7 August in Cologne will take place the "Gay Games", the gay and lesbian Olympic Games with athletes from all over the world.
There will be 35 sports competitions including football, ice hockey, diving, cycling. "We currently have 6500 registrations, but with 10,000 participants expected," said organizer Annette Wachter. "These are as many as at the Olympic Games in Beijing."
These are the Gay Games
The first Gay Games were held in 1982 in San Francisco. Most recently they took place in Sydney in 2002 and in Chicago in 2006. In Europe, they have only been held once, in 1998 in Amsterdam.
Actually, they should be called the "Gay Olympics". But the US Olympic Committee prevented this from happening.
Athletes will bring friends and partners: "We expect a million visitors that week in Cologne. A study has shown that they will spend 43 million euros. "Many celebrities support Homolympia: Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is the patron. "Tatort" star Ulrike Folkerts is one of the ambassadors.
It is a giant party: opening ceremony in the Rhein-Energie-Stadion, and closing ceremony at Rheinpark. In between there are concerts, shows and many parties.
The competition venues include the Sportpark Müngersdorf, with free entrance to most events. And everyone can join: Application deadline is 31 May.
"We definitely need more beds for participants who cannot afford a hotel, and we need volunteers," stated Annette Wachter.
Information and contact at www.games-cologne.de
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