eurOut coverage continues

A huge presence during Gay Games VIII, eurOut, a website for lesbians in Europe, continues to publish articles from Cologne.

You can find the Gay Games VIII archive HERE.

Here are some of the articles from eurOut:

• Gay Games Interview: German author Bettina Isabel Rocha
• Gay Games Portrait: US dancers Heather Brockett and Sunny Williams
• Gay Games Interview: German singer Steffi List
• Gay Games Portrait: US track athlete Heather Scanlon
• Smells Like Team Spirit – A closer look at the first LGBT cheerleading tournament
• A look at the water sports at the Gay Games
• Gay Games Interview: British singer Sharron Levy
• Gay Games Interview: German author Anne Bax
• Gay Games Interview: German artist Gerda Laufenberg
• Gay Games Interview: German authors Diana Knezevic and Marion Scholz
• Gay Games Interview: German author Brigitte Bialojahn
• Video of the week: Facing a Miracle by Taylor Dayne
• Gay Games Portrait: DJanes Kitty Atomic and Miss Stereo
• Gay Games Interview: the women of Croatian choir Le Zbor
• Gay Games event: Meike Gottschalk gives us ABBA
• eurOut Gay Games Update: Bodybuilding and Cheerleading
• Gay Games Portrait: Dutch track athlete Martje Hoekmeijer
• eurOut reports: Gay Games opening ceremony
• eurOut proudly presents: Book readings at the Gay Games - Meet the authors
• Meet & Greet - An event at the Gay Games you should not miss
• WomenPlace: The place to be at the Gay Games
• On the road to the Gay Games

Gay Games sponsor Ford celebrates employee Gay Games medals

"Ford takes Gold in Gay Games"

COLOGNE, Germany, August 31, 2010 -- Three Ford employees won medals in this summer's VIII Gay Games Cologne 2010. Open to everyone, the Gay Games are one of the world's largest amateur athletic events, attracting some 10,000 participants from more than 70 countries.

Ralf Schloesser won a gold medal in the team Table Tennis competition and a bronze in A-class mixed, Karina Knebel won a silver medal in women's Water Polo, and Jan Hoffman won a silver medal in singles Tennis. To demonstrate the international side of the Games, Jan had to beat an Australian, two Englishmen, two Americans and one Spaniard, before losing to German Sebastain Grochla in the final.

"The standard of player at the Gay Games was very high and I was delighted to be able to win the silver medal," said Jan. "However, gold would have been even better and my thoughts have already turned to the next Gay Games in Cleveland, USA, in 2014."

The motto of the Games is “Be part of it!” and a ONE Ford team from Ford Bank and Ford Werke Germany volunteered to support the event. Employees used their annual 16 hours of community involvement to support the games. In total 65 Ford volunteers covered over 160 shifts at the Games, and Ford lent the Games six cars for the duration of the event.

Read the article online HERE.

Team Colorado medal winner looking to London 2012

From the Out Front Colorado blog:

David Smith from Westminster, Colo., 22, just came home from the Gay Games in Cologne, Germany with 3 GOLD and 3 SILVER medals in swimming and now he has his sights set on another prize!

Smith took GOLD in the 400 IM, 400 Free and 200 Fly. SILVER in 100 Fly and 200 Free and 4 by 100 Free.

He set a new Gay Games record in the 200 Fly!

More than 150 teams from around the world participated in Gay Games VIII which were held from July 31 through August 7.

Smith, who currently swims with the Colorado SQUID swim team is planning on competing for Metro State in the fall.

dsm

The highlight of the trip for Smith was meeting Australian diver Matthew Mitcham. “Being able to sit down for a few minutes and chit chat with a famous Olympic Gold Medalist was really an unexpected honor”, he said.

Smith admits that he would like to return to the Gay Games in 2014 but has his eye on another kind of gold as well. “I’m shooting for more than just the next Gay Games” he said before a recent practice at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center in Denver.

David hopes to compete for the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London and is training for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska scheduled to take place from June 25 to July 2, 2012.

EGLSF newsletter

The latest EGLSF newsletter features the successful Gay Games VIII in Cologne, launched by EGLSF (and FGG) member club SC Janus.


Read the newsletter online HERE.
Download the PDF HERE.

Contents:

THE SUMMER OF 2010 IN COLOGNE

EUROGAMES
- Brief introduction
- 13th EuroGames 2011: Rotterdam
- 14th EuroGames 2012: Budapest

EGLSF INFO
- EGLSF at the Budapest Pride
- EGLSF Board Meetings
- Budapest Splash 2010
- Celebration in Frankfurt: FVV’s 25th anniversary
- Exhibition Against the Rules

NEWS SECTION
- London Olympics with Pride
- Day against homophobia in football survey
- Gay Footballers Survey
- Registration for World Outgames 2013 started
- Seeking Athlete of the Year
- Queer fans from across Europe to visit Hamburg

SPORTS EVENTS COMING UP...
Events from September till December 2010

Deutsche Welle: Gay Games skeptics?

Deutsche Welle is Germany's foreign radio and TV service. A leitmotiv in their coverage of Gay Games VIII was the notion that LGBT sport is unnecessary and constitutes segregation. In their coverage, they made frequent reference to people who believe this, but oddly enough, they were unable to provide anyone who actually says this, other than... an editor from Deutsche Welle (read HERE)...

Despite this bias, Deutsche Well did some good stories, including one on a Jamaican runner (read HERE), from which this extract:

Asked what the significance of the Gay Games was for places like Jamaica, James said they present a positive, healthy image of gay culture that goes against the negative stereotypes that are the cause of much of the homophobia in the world.

"The Gay Games does give gay athletes a chance to show everyone that it's not just about partying, sex, drugs and that kind of thing," he said. "They can be serious athletes. They can compete and they can be as professional as straight athletes."

Or this radio story on inclusion already mentioned HERE.

Or this story on preparations for the event (read HERE).

Frankfurt Christmas Tournament earlybird registration

New Federation of Gay Games member organization Frankfurter Volleyball Verein, in conjunction with their sister organization Artemis, is organizing their 22nd Xmas Tournament from December 3-5. This is a special edition, because FVV is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the tournament is sure to be even better than usual (and the usual is very, very good).

The following sports are on offer:

– Badminton | W/M
– Basketball | W
– Bowling | Mixed
– Dance Workshop Salsa | Mixed
– Fitness Workshops | Mixed
– Swimming | M/W
– Table Tennis | Mixed
– Tennis | Mixed Doubles
– Trampolining Workshop | Mixed
– Volleyball | W/M

REGISTER NOW for early-bird prices: The early-bird discount applies until September 25th.The XMAS "Complete Package" (sports, party and brunch) costs only 48.75 euros. After September 25th, the normal price of 65 euros will apply.

Note the ambitious and highly effective outreach program aimed at eastern Europe, and feel free to apply for help... and contribute to outreach funding.

All info HERE.

Watch the RTL documentary online

Last night leading German TV channel RTL's documentary programm Die Grosse Reportage broadcast a very interesting report on Gay Games VIII entitled Hoeher, weiter, schwul: Die Koelner Gay Games (Higher, farther, gay: the Cologne Gay Games).

You can view the documentary online free until next Sunday (then for a fee) HERE.

Read the press release HERE.

Matthew Mitcham at FGG Gay Games VIII press conference

Rik Magazine/Inqueery.de, a Gay Games VIII media sponsor, has put together this clip of Matthew Mitcham at the FGG press conference.

Sport and homosexuality on France Inter

France Inter, the country's leading public radio station, has a weekly broadcast on homosexuality this summer, entitled Je t'aime pareil (I love you the same), hosted by Harry Eliezer and Marjolaine Koch. The theme for the final broadcast of the season was sport and homosexuality, with guests including Pascal Brettes of activist soccer club Paris Foot Gay, Yoann Lemaire, author of Je suis le seul joueur de foot homo (I'm the only gay football player...), Ludovic of FSGL member rugby club Les Gaillards Parisiens, and our own Christelle Foucault, vice president of FGG member FSGL and chair of Equipe France 2010.

Gay Games VIII on local Cologne TV

10,000 participants expected:


Opening ceremony and International Rainbow Memorial Run:



Gay Games end tomorrow:



Closing Ceremony:

Deutsche Welle radio story on inclusion in Gay Games

A nice story from Deutsche Welle radio's English service on Gay Games VIII, with a focus on inclusion, in particular of older athletes.

John Amaechi interview in Towelroad

John Amaechi at the opening of the Against the Rules exhibition at Gay Games VIII

From a wide-ranging interview in Towelroad, an extract about Gay Games VIII.

Steve Pep: You were [a] Gay Games Ambassador in Cologne this year. What was that experience like for you?

John Amaechi: Originally, not much, just a responsible thing to do. My experience at the Gay Games this year was. however, revelatory. I met the scholarship athletes who had been sponsored by the FGG to come to the games, from South Africa, Peru, Mexico, all over Eastern Europe, I heard their stories of oppression, derision, marginalisation and all to often physical abuse and intimidation. It was humbling to hear about their daily, struggle and it put "the plight" of gay, professional athletes in the west into perspective. I never had it so tough.

Also, I spend very little time around gay people in my daily work life. Most of my gay friends are dotted around the States and I have seen them infrequently in the last year, but being in Cologne around athletes who take sport as seriously as I once did, made me feel a great regret that my experience playing basketball wasn’t as rich as theirs clearly is now. I met many of the English football teams while there and am hoping they will adopt me, they were a blast to hang out with...I have made several resolutions since being at the gay games: to play more basketball, find a gay team to play with from time to time (not my own club, that just feels weird) and spend more time with my current friends and making new ones.

Saturday: French national radio on sport and homosexuality

France Inter, the country's leading public radio station, has a weekly broadcast on homosexuality this summer, entitled Je t'aiModifier le code HTMLme pareil (I love you the same). The theme for the final broadcast of the season is sport and homosexuality, with guests including Pascal Brettes of activist soccer club Paris Foot Gay, Yoann Lemaire, author of Je suis le seul joueur de foot homo (I'm the only gay football player...), Michel Royer, director of the documentary Sport et homosexualité, c'est quoi le problème ? (sport and homosexuality: what's the problem), and our own Christelle Foucault, vice president of FGG member FSGL and chair of Equipe France 2010. Carole Péon, an out lesbian champion triathlete, will also participate via telephone.

Saturday 28 August at 21.00 (9pm) CET on France Inter. You can listen live HERE (click on "Direct" at the top of the page).

Sunday: German TV report on Gay Games VIII

Leading German TV channel RTL's documentary programm Die Grosse Reportage will be broadcasting a report on Gay Games VIII entitled Hoeher, weiter, schwul: Die Koelner Gay Games (Higher, farther, gay: the Cologne Gay Games).

Live this Sunday 29 August, beginning at about 22.55 (10:55pm Central European Time).

You can try to view online HERE or HERE. (No guarantees that these links will work.)

Read the press release HERE.

Team San Francisco homecoming party September 11

Team SF will hold its official post-Gay Games celebration on Saturday, September 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lookout bar at 16th and Market streets in San Francisco.

Team Philly homecoming party!

Team Philadelphia will be honoring our Gay Games participants with a Homecoming Party on Tuesday, 21 September 2010 starting at 7:30 PM at Brauhaus Schmitz on South Street. This will be a great place to celebrate our winnings and share our Cologne and Gay Games experiences. Brauhaus Schmitz has offered us their mezzanine level which provides a fantastic, semi-private area for our group to convene (and party). This will be a great opportunity to show off your medals for the local paparazzi. Oh – and yes – the Kölsch will be pouring!!

PROST!

21 September 2010, 7:30PM
Brauhaus Schmitz
718 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Please send Kurt D. a small selection of your favorite GG VIII photos so that we can share them with other participants. We are especially interested in capturing medals being awarded. Email to kdoug331@gmail.com

Team Ireland success

Gaelick has a great report on Team Ireland's performance in Cologne. Read the whole story HERE. Here's an extract:

Team Ireland’s first medal of the tournament was won by Nick Flanagan, who picked up silver in the 50m backstroke and who set a new personal best. In the Triathlon event on the same day, competitors Eithne Ni Longphuirt and Yvonne Delaney picked up medals of gold and silver, respectively, in their classes.

Poolside, Ireland’s Vivenne picked up a gold, silver and a bronze. Celebrate diversity, what? Meanwhile, Ireland win a medal in the 10k road race through the forest near Cologne, with Louise Cavanagh taking the bronze.

Nick Flanagan strikes again in the 4×50m medley, winning the gold. And Ireland’s terrific women won bronze in the 200m relay. Eilis Burns went on to take gold in the 100m breaststroke and break the Irish record for her age group. Go girl!

By the evening of 4th August, there were at least 14 medals for Team Ireland’s Cork contingent. Within under three days of that, the total number of medals increased by 7. Still awaiting the full tally for Team Ireland. GO TEAM!

Chelsea Piers skating coaches take medals

Ali Blank

From NYC's Chelsea Piers Sky Rink website:

Congratulations to the 7 Sky Rink coaches who competed in the Gay Games VIII in Cologne, Germany, last weekend! The team of skaters, comprised of Ali Blank, Angela Chiang, Rusty Constine, Wade Corbett, Marni Halasa, Bridie Myles and Maria O'Connor, each competed in multiple events. The group cleaned up shop, bringing home a total of 10 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 7 bronze medals! Way to go, coaches!

Belgian video podcast from Gay Games VIII

Two video reports from the Belgian website GayLive.be [website] [Youtube Channel].

First Video
In Keulen gingen dit jaar de Gay Games door. Ook heel wat Belgen waren er actief. Gaylive zocht er enkele op.

[English] This year the Gay Games were in Cologne. Many Belgians participated and GayLive.be looked at a few in this videocast.

Team Ireland on Dublin City FM

YouTube didn't work, so we're trying this solution. Enjoy!

EurOut Report: Gay Games Portrait: US dancers Heather Brockett and Sunny Williams

Report from Gay Games Cologne by Anna McFaith at EurOut.org.

I admire everyone who plays a sport. I admire everyone who is good at a sport even more.

Now, I believe there are sports everyone can play and, with enough training, be relatively good at. I, however, firmly believe no one will ever be able to teach me how to properly dance. I tried it, stepped on a lot of toes and had to be mostly dragged over the dance floor by my girlfriend. I can laugh at my own faults, but not even I will attempt any form of dancing again.

That said, watching the women’s dance sport competition made me wish my muscles had any memory at all besides basic motor functions. Graceful, passionate and infinitely elegant. It describes all dancers competing in the 18+ finals, but the love vibe only comes from one pair of dancers.

Their names are Heather Brockett and Sunny Williams and we met them at the internet cafe we used to upload all our Gay Games articles during the Gay Games week.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

RealJock member story from Cologne: diver Billy

From RealJock:

Billy competed in three diving events: the 1- and 3-meter springboard as well as the platform. He won gold medals in all three. Pretty impressive, right? And he's only at the beginning of competing in this sport. "I'm actually new to diving," he tells us. "I've always been interested in learning and I just started last fall. I was a nationally ranked gymnast when I was younger (I'm 43 now), and the muscle memory for flipping and twisting is still there so I'm picking up quickly." We'll say -— hard to see how you could pick it up any quicker. And he's been having success all year leading up to Cologne. "In May I competed in a national Masters competition and had a great meet (two bronzes) so I thought I might give the Games a shot. I'm so glad I did because it was an amazing experience."

We also asked Billy to tell us about his favorite Games moments. "Besides being on top of the podium, the most memorable part of the Gay Games was the opening ceremony," he says (though it's hard to imagine anything beating that podium vista!). "It was so inspiring to see thousands of athletes from all over the world march into the stadium. The mood in the arena was incredibly uplifting. It felt great to be a part of a community of people that was so focused on health and fitness. Everyone was very friendly, easy to talk to and really excited about being there."

This is a key aspect of the Games —- the blend of talent and inclusion. "It felt so good to have trained as hard as I have this year and compete well," Billy says. But there was more to the experience for him than winning. "It was also great to have met some incredible divers from many other countries.They were all so nice and helpful and the atmosphere of the competition was very friendly. An awesome thing about the Games which most people don't realize is that you don't have to be an expert in a sport to go there and compete. There is no qualifying event and anyone regardless of age or ability level can enter and compete in the sport of their choice."

Of course, it doesn't hurt to be in really amazing shape:

That means that there's no reason not to think about going yourself—a point Billy's own experience highlights: "I highly recommend going to Cleveland in 2014 to anyone training for a sport. Or like me, you can pick a new sport you've always fantasized about doing. It's four years from now, so go for it! I'll see you there." In fact, you could also be like Billy and find sponsoring, in his case through Treasure Island Media. "They have been and continue to be incredibly supportive in helping me pursue my competitive diving goals."

RealJock seeks your stories

Games Participants, Please Stand Up!

Did you participate in the Games? Would you like to tell us about it? Write to us and let us profile you on the site!

What to send: Email us some information about yourself (age, competitive background, what led you to the Games), as well as the sport you competed in (division/group), how you did, and what you thought of the experience. In particular, we'd like to know what was special about the Gay Games for you, and whether you plan to compete again. Finally, please include a couple of photos of yourself, preferably including a pic from your Gay Games appearance.

Where to send it: Send your email to info@realjock.com with Gay Games in the subject line. Please give us an email address where you can be reached for follow-up questions. And then prepare to reap the glory....

RealJock member story from Cologne: runner David

From RealJock:

Our second gold medalist is David (aka MarathonManiac), who has been a distance runner since 1980, when he joined Frontrunners. Now, he has won Gay Games gold in his age division. This is another key aspect of the Games —- that they provide a great competitive outlet for athletes of all ages, not merely the young. With 91 marathons or ultras under his belt since his first marathon in 1989, David has a lot of experience to bring to the Games.

[...]

As so often at the Games, David's victory is a story both of personal accomplishment and community support. Here's his account of the race: "Marathon day turned out to be cooler than it had been all week, and the course was mostly shaded through a large urban park. I burned through the first loop about 3 minutes faster than planned and paid for that with a markedly slower second loop. Most of my Frontrunner comrades had elected to do just the half-marathon, so as I neared the finish I was glad to hear them cheering me on from several spots in the final kilometer. Due to some disorganization, it wasn't until 10PM that night after the closing ceremony that I found out I had placed, but I had a good feeling at the finish line that I must've made it. So my elation was delayed; my friends made a bigger fuss about it than I did, which really gave me a boost."

[...]

"Every Gay Games has been a wonderful experience. The entire city turns gay, the locals are friendly. Besides sport, there are all sorts of cultural and sightseeing things to do. Plenty of parties, too, though I'm past the age where that appeals. Winning isn't the ultimate goal of the Games; the goals of the Games are participation, inclusion, personal best. Everybody can and should participate in their favorite sport. I guarantee they will have the time of their life."

As the sign behind David says—be part of it!

When you forget your autograph book...

photo Manfredocgn/pumart.biz

Matthew Mitcham made a very popular appearance at the venue for swimming at Gay Games VIII. A bathing cap that will never be used again in the pool...

An unseasonal entry in Show Dance

Chicagoans shine during Gay Games

By Ross Forman from Windy City Times

The Gay Games brings together athletes of all shapes and sizes, of all races and religions, of all experience levels. There's the extremely high level of competitive basketball played by the San Francisco Rock Dogs to the leisurely "sport" of bridge. Gay Games VIII, held July 31—Aug. 7, brought more than 9,500 participants from 65 countries to Cologne, Germany, for the quadrennial sports and cultural extravaganza. Windy City Times reporter Ross Forman looks back at the Games through the eyes, ears, emotions and more of those who battled of gold, silver and bronze, as well as personal pride and accomplishment. About 125 participants went to Cologne from the Chicago area—and here are the stories of some of them.

Read full story HERE.


And the expanded version HERE.

Douglass and QUAC bring home gold

By Brad Di Iorio from Q Salt Lake

Over half of Team Utah athletes attending Gay Games VIII this summer brought home medals, with Utah’s top woman cyclist winning three gold medals, and the state’s water polo team beating the international favorite in the finals for the gold.

Margaret Douglass, the Utah athlete with the most medals from previous Gay Games, added three more golds to her collection of five gold and two silver medals in cycling. She was only supposed to compete in two events at this year’s games in Cologne, Germany, but when the German women’s team saw her perform in the criterium and road race, they asked her to join them for their team trial race.

“I felt very honored and told them yes [and] we won the gold. They were really strong [and] one of them had out-sprinted me in the two previous races,” said Douglass.

Read full article HERE

Live from Cologne: 34 medals for track and field athlete at the Games

Live from Cologne report by Don Alexander, Los Angeles - age 76

I was quite busy: competing four days in Track & Field, and modestly speaking, won eight gold medals -- that brings my total of five Games to about 34 medals. Ouch.

Good luck.

Don Alexander

Athletes and officials oaths and official opening of Gay Games VIII

Matthew Mitcham reads the athletes' oath, Simon Assboeck reads the officials' oath, and together they declare Gay Games VIII open!

Oath of the Participants
I, Matthew Mitcham, on behalf of all the participants in this stadium, pledge to fully participate in the Gay Games by honoring the spirit of their origins.
I pledge to celebrate the uniqueness of these Games in their purest realm of sportsmanship, where there is no shame of failure, only glory in achievement and the shared fulfillment of each personal best.
In these Games I have no rivals; only comrades in unity.

Oath of the Officials
I, Simone Assboeck, on behalf of all officials in this stadium, pledge to fairly officiate in the Gay Games,
To honor the spirit of their origins by celebrating the true meaning of sportsmanship,
By judging impartially and without prejudice.
I pledge to respect the talents of all participants who come to these Games, where self-esteem is fostered through fairness, to all who seek and find victory in a personal best.

BearPodcast interviews Gay Games VIII powerlifters

It's a video file, but it's really an audio interview of Todd Hafner (left) and Kyle Able (right). Listen HERE.

El Periodico on Gay Games VIII

Via Google Translation, an extract from this article in El Periodico.cat:

There are many stories of children who begin kicking a football barefoot in a humble neighborhood and end up reaching the top. Less known are those kids who start playing and are forced to give up football. Walter Garcia's is a story between these caes. "I was very good, but one day my mother told me I had to decide between studying and playing football. And I left. For years I felt incomplete. But Walter was not abandoning his great passion. Even more, over the years he decided to join them in what became his big fight, the fight against discrimination of homosexuals . 'One day I understood that to be a champion one must be oneself.' Now this explains the gold medal around his neck, which the Argentine gay soccer club (SAFGay) just won in the eighth edition the Gay Games held last week in Cologne. "It was very difficult to get here but it was very important to us just this year when Argentina won the gold medal with his own law marriage for the same sex, "says an excited Walter.

Australia report

A report from Gay Games media partner the Sydney Star Observer:

Australia’s GLBT athletes shone at Gay Games VIII in Cologne, netting more than 200 medals in disciplines as diverse as wrestling and dance.

The weeklong event was hailed as the biggest sports and cultural festival in the world, attracting almost 10,000 participants from more than 70 countries. Among those were 365 Australian athletes who brought back an impressive swag of medals – 90 gold, 92 silver and 53 bronze.

Australia’s Cologne Gay Games representative Phillip Lischke said our athletes were warmly embraced by the 800,000 or so spectators who attended events, and exceeded expectations on the medal tally.

Some of our strongest performers include Steven Berveling, a three-time winner in cycling events, and John Nicholls, who also bagged a hat trick of gold medals in the diving.

As usual, most of our medals came from the pool and athletics track. Corey Buckman and John Marriot both scored five gold medals in swimming, as did Paul Skipper and Wayne Morgan in track and field events. Brendan Dwyer won the most gold, taking home six medals in track and field events.

The profile of the Australian team was further buoyed by the presence of Olympian Matthew Mitcham, who gave the athletes’ oath on behalf of all participants at the opening ceremony.

They also received support from Peter Tesch, the Australian ambassador to Germany, who attended the team reception and met athletes during the event.

For SSO photos of the Gay Games, click HERE.

San Diego report

From San Diego Gay and Lesbian News:

COLOGNE, Germany – Ten swimmers from San Diego’s Different Strokes Swim Team (DSST) successfully competed in various swimming events at the Eighth Gay Games, held from July 31 to Aug. 7.

Competing with athletes from more than 60 countries, the San Diego team members swam their way to multiple victories, including both personal and competitive “best times” in events like freestyle, butterfly, back, and breast stroke swims.

“Participating in an Olympic-style event like Gay Games was a wonderful opportunity and so worth the time and effort,” said first-time participant Ken Dillingham, one of the DSST swimmers.

“Not only did we meet and compete against people from all over the world, but everyone was so friendly! You didn’t have to be a world-class athlete to participate; I would definitely do it again.”

Continue reading HERE.

Table tennis at Gay Games Cologne

About 130 participants from 15 countries competed in the Gay Games Cologne Table Tennis competition. Cologne marked a return of the sport to the Gay Games as it was not contested in Chicago in 2006. Men's and women's singles and doubles, by ability division, as well as Hobby and Master's divisions were offered.

In the men's Championship A division, Michael Mahlstedt of Germany defeated Amir Ahmed of Austria for the gold and silver medals. Roland Kariger of Austria and Ronny Richter of Germany won the bronze medals. But the singles weren't the only place where these 4 men shined. In the doubles final Michael and Amir teamed up to win gold over, you guessed it, Roland Ronny who got the silver. Bronze in Men's doubles, championship A, went to Lars Afrell of Sweden teaming up with Walter Esser of Germany.

Women's Championship A saw Miriam Bartels of Germany defeating Ruth Delattre of Germany for the gold. Miriam and Ruth also met in the women's doubles final AND the mixed doubles final, but on opposite sides. Ruth and her partner Lars Afrell from Sweden defeated Miriam and her partner ronny Richter of Germany in the Mixed Doubles finals, whereas Miriam and her partner Uta Schultheiss turned the tables to win gold over Ruth and her partner Andrea Kroller in an all Germany women's doubles finals in Championship A.

The Championship B division proved even more powerful for the home team Germany with all golds going to German players. Hungary shared in the mixed doubles silver, Greece shared in a men's doubles bronze and Nick Moy and Ju-Young Joun of the UK were the only fully non-German team to win a medal (bronze in men's doubles).

Those of you who were rooting for American Kaia Wilson, whose blog chronicled her preparation for the the Gay Games and was often featured on this blog, will be pleased to know that she won a gold medal in women's doubles in the champship C division, teaming up with fellow American Joyce Stuart. She also won a bronze in the co-ed team competition. Kaia is a musician from Portland, Oregon, best known for cofounding Team Dresch, a 1990s queercore punk band, and The Butchies, a pop-rock spin-off from her solo work.

A special shoutout also from me to Wolfgang Busch of Team New York who was very helpful in the early stages of getting New Yorkers organized for these Gay Games. In the Recreational Division, Wolfgang took Gold in men's doubles, gold in mixed doubles, and bronze in men's singles.

The full set of results are available HERE. Congratulations to all participants.

Life imitates art...

I only just realized how close this pose is to the logo of Gay Games VIII, which you can see on the backdrop on either side of Atlanta's Brian Dohner.

Australian Ambassador at Gay Games VIII

Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 welcomed several world leaders and official governement ambassadors. One important visitor was the Australian Ambassador to Germany. Read this story from the Sydney Star Observer.

On August 1, one day after the Opening Ceremony of Gay Games VIII Cologne, some 300 Australian athletes and their partners and friends mingled at the Australian Welcome Reception, held in the event venue (and former city monastery) Wolkenburg. The event, which was jointly being co-hosted by the Australian Ambassador to Germany, His Excellency Mr Peter Tesch and Team Sydney on behalf of all Australian city teams, showed impressively the biggest Australian contingent at International Games outside of Australia ever, reporting with 363 athletes and cultural participants an increase of 34% more compared to last Gay Games in Chicago 2006.

Peter Tesch, who stayed in Cologne for another day to visit some of the sports venues and follow his contingent in action, wished the Australian participants during his speech all his best for their competitions and underlined the importance of the Gay Games to break down on stereotypes and address missing GLBT rights throughout the globe.

Whether it was his official support or the intense upfront training of his Australian athletes, the Australian team managed to bring home 90 gold, 92 silver and 53 bronze medals in total as access baggage.

Photo courtesy: http://www.starobserver.com.au/

Team New York to host Homecoming Party for Gay Games participants

Welcome home Gay Games athletes!

Team New York will be hosting a Homecoming Party for all Gay Games participants on Thursday, August 19 from 6 – 9 PM at Boxers NYC, an LGBT sports bar. Boxers NYC has two levels, pool tables, brick-oven pizza, beer on tap, full bar, and plasma screens. The event will feature 2-for-1 cocktails and will give you the opportunity to show off your bronze, silver, and gold medals, while sharing your Cologne experiences with other athletes!

Boxers NYC is located at 37 W. 20th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Hope to see you there!

Jack Mackenroth's final posting on Cologne

4x50 meter medley relay: Bruce Hayes, Mackenroth, Josh Judge, and Rob Hermanet

Here's an extract:

My sixth Gay Games competition has come to a close and as I leave Cologne Germany for Amsterdam I have a chance to reflect on the amazing experience of the last week. I have been training for this competition for 8 months, lifting weights and swimming at least 2 hours daily. I had a few meets leading up to the games in which I did some of my best times ever so I was really prepared and excited for the competition. The experience of the Gay Games did not disappoint.

[...]

I have met some really amazing athletes form all around the world. Cologne is a very charming city and the people were warm and hospitable. From what I experienced, Cologne did a great job of hosting the Gay Games. Some of them still have that whole severe German thing going on but it didn’t faze me much. After swimming some great races and laughing my ass off on many occasions I’m off to Amsterdam to celebrate after months of hard work. See you at Gay Games 2014 in Cleveland!!

Read the whole thing HERE.

FGG Board and Assembly meeting sites announced

Fernando Carvajal and FGG coordinator for the Santiago meeting, Derek Liecty

During the Federation of Gay Games' Annual General Assembly in Cologne, Germany, the FGG announced the Board's proposals for sites for upcoming meetings.

Following the proposal made at the 2009 Annual General Assembly by Fernando Carvajal of member organization MovDeInChile to host a Federation meeting in Santiago de Chile, the Board is proposing to hold its mid-year meeting there in Spring of 2011. Dlegates from member organizations and other interested parties are welcome to be part of this event, which will also include a conference with LGBT sport and culture leaders from all of Latin America.

As for the 2011 Annual General Assembly, the Board is proposing that it be held in the Autumn of 2011 in Toronto, Canada. Other locations already determined for future meetings include Cleveland for the 2013 Annual General Assembly, per FGG custom of holding its Assembly meeting in the host city of the Gay Games in the year preceding the event.

Matthew Mitcham from Cologne to Abbotsleigh to Dehli

From Diving New South Wales:

Matthew Mitcham was the star of the day at the 2010 Matthew Mitcham Meet held at Abbotsleigh Aquatic Centre on Sunday 15 August 2010. Matthew was there to present several competition awards and was guest Referee and Announcer throughout the day. There were plenty of photo opportunities for our future champions with our current Olympic champion. Thanks to Matthew for taking the time out out his busy schedule to meet up with his many fans at our first Interclub meet for the 2010/2011 season.

In October, we'll look forward to following Matthew at the Commonwealth Games in New Dehli...

Look back at... Beach Volleyball

Men's and women's beach volleyball took place in seven categories at Gay Games Cologne. Forty three teams participated with teams from Canada, USA, Germany and France coming out on top. Beach Volleyball was played near RheinEnergieStadion, site of the Opening Ceremony, in Cologne’s Sportpark Muengersdorf, at the ‘Playa in Cologne.’
For those of you who appreciate beautiful men, you're welcome :-)

Photos at Quebesport.net/photos

Why the Gay Games?

Why the Gay Games? Look HERE.

2010 Federation of Gay Games Annual General Assembly

This year, for the first time, the FGG Annual General Assembly took place the day after Closing Ceremony, allowing for a large number of delegates to attend, and avoiding unnecessary travel costs that would be incurred by holding the meeting at the usual October-November date.

On the highly condensed agenda of the meeting, after confirmation of new member organizations, were elections to the Board of Directors, reports and discussions on important issues for the FGG, and a variety of motions, including ones committing the FGG to a process of consultation and on-going discussions with the goal of a single quadrennial event in 2018.

Look back at... Closing Ceremony

Closing Ceremony of Gay Games VIII took place at Tanzbrunnen in the Rheinpark on the right bank of the Rhine. First to enter was the delegation representing the FGG, bearing flags with the logos of each edition of Gay Games through Cologne and beyond to Cleveland-Akron.

After another spectacular show by gold-medal winning Cheer San Francisco, ceremonial aspects included speeches by Deputy Mayor Elfi Scho-Antwerpes and FGG and Games Cologne Co-Presidents, the arrival of the Gay Games VIII torch, carried by sports director Dagmar Ziege, an award for the Gay Games VIII outstanding volunteer, and above all, the transfer of the Gay Games flag from host Games Cologne to the FGG and then to our host for 2014 in Cleveland-Akron.

The evening continued with a festival feel, with plenty of food and drink, great live music, and much socializing.