Team Colorado fired up for Cologne

Athletes around the world are gearing up for this year's Gay Games in Cologne, Germany, from July 31 to August 7, and Colorado is preparing to play a major role. Team Colorado, an organization that supports Colorado's LGBT athletes with visibility and community, will send more than 50 athletes to represent the state at the event.

The Gay Games aren't your ordinary athletic gathering. The focus of the games - which happen every four years - is inclusion: athletes of any age compete, and they can be among the best in their sport or they can be beginners who compete against other beginners. And in addition to sporting events, the Federation of Gay Games is planning roles for artists, musicians and informational exhibitions, along with a hefty dose of parties.

And there is one more thing that sets the Gay Games apart from other major sporting events: most of the athletes participating will be LGBT. The Gay Games gives them a chance to meet others who have similar experiences and achieve glory and sense of triumph that can often be tough for LGBT people to find.

"Imagine walking behind the flag of the United States and the Colorado state symbol into a stadium the size of Mile High Stadium," says Sonya Lewis, co-president of Team Colorado. "Just describing the scene still raises the hair on the back of my neck."

Read the entire article at Out Front Colorado HERE.