EMY RITT
Greetings, Sports Fans,
Greetings, Culture Fans,
Greetings, Cologne !
Welcome to a Celebration of Freedom !
It is so great to be here with you all.
Tonight, we are graced with the presence of
Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Doctor Guido Westerwelle,
Stadt-Secretaire Schaeffer and Stadt-Secretaire Brederhost
representing the Land North Rhine Westphalia
the Lord Mayor of Cologne, Herr Jeurgen Roters
the Co-Presidents of Games Cologne, Frau Annette Wachter und Herr Michael Lohaus,
On behalf of the Federation of Gay Games, we thank you and the City of Cologne, and the entire Games Cologne team, from the bottom of our hearts.
This is the first time that the Gay Games has had such a distinguished dignitary as its patron, and we are very grateful to Vice-Chancellor Westerwelle for his support.
And so, we say to all of you:
Unsere Freunden in Koeln und in Deutchland, Vielen Dank fur Ihre ZusammenArbeit fur die Gay Games
und auch vielen Dank fur Ihre Arbeit und Ihre Erröffnung seit vielen Jaren und vielen Monaden.
Wir sind zehr stolz auf Sie. We are very proud of you.Viva Colonia !
You know, the first time that the Gay Games took place in Europe was just next door in Amsterdam in 1998, and isn't it great to be back in Europe?
Aan onze supporters uit Nederland en Amsterdam, gastheer van de GayGames in 1998, wij vinden het fijn om samen met jullie hier te zijn in Keulen.
Dank jullie wel voor jullie voortdurende support van GayGames in het verleden, nu, en in de toekomst.
A nos amis ici des pays francophones, de la France, et, surtout de ma ville, Paris:
Nous vous remercions tous pour votre présence parmi nous ce soir avec plus de 500 personnes pour la délégation Equipe France! C'est formidable, n' est-ce pas ?
Nous sommes très touchés par votre soutien et votre solidarité envers les Gay Games, et nous sommes ravis que vous soyez là ce soir parmi nous.
To our friends from the Southern Hemisphere, thank you for making the journey to be with us here this week. We know that it's a long way to travel.
From down under, where in 2002, the Gay Games were held in Sydney, Australia: welcome!
To our sisters and brothers from Africa, from South Africa, from Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, we recognise the challenges and risks that are undertaken every day as you live your lives openly.
As Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world”. And as always, Mandiba was spot on, and that is why we are all here this week at Gay Games VIII in Cologne.
With your continued participation and support, we look forward to seeing you
the other side of the equator under the Southern Skies.
Y a nuestros amigos y amigas de América Latina y España les deseamos que disfruten con el deporte y la música y conociendo a participantes de todo el mundo.
Muchas gracias por su presencia en Colonia esta semana.
And now, as I pass the baton to Kurt Dahl, my fellow Co-President of the Federation of Gay Games, Vice-President of Host Relations and a key member of the organising team for the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago, I wish you all a great week in Cologne! I know you'll have lots of fun!
And when you see a member of the Games Cologne team, please take a moment to thank them for all that they have done.
Have a great week! And thanks for being here.
Danke schon. Vielen dank. Thank you.
KURT DAHL
WELCOME TO THE GAY GAMES!
To those of you who are attending the Gay Games for the first time, get ready for a life-changing experience.
Gay Games Change the World! And you are about to witness the thrill of
PARTICIPATION, INCLUSION, and PERSONAL BEST
This week in Cologne, we have :
over 9,000 participants from more than 65 countries,
with 6000 men, and 3000 women participating in 35 sports, and 4 cultural events
To our supporters from around the world, who have worked with our Games Cologne colleagues for the past 4 years to promote Gay Games VIII, our thanks to you all.
Initial expectations have been far exceeded despite a world financial crisis
and unexpected economic turmoil. This is a credit to all of you and to the Games Cologne team.
To all the volunteers and supporters from around the world, the many who are here tonight, and also the many who could not make the journey, the Gay Games would not exist without you.
To the FGG member organisations located around the world in five continents, we thank you for your loyal support.
Since 1982, there have been 20 bidders and eight host cities of the Gay Games from all over the world.
We are very grateful to these organisations for their enthusiasm and energy, which has inspired the Gay Games movement to newer and greater heights.
We also thank the all-volunteer FGG Board of Directors, who have dedicated a major portion of their non-working lives to the Gay Games.
And with us tonight are many former members of the Board, who have served so well the Gay Games community and who continue to support us with their presence.
We are also very fortunate to have with us tonight Sara Waddell Lewinstein, who,
together with founder Dr.Tom Waddell, organised the first the Gay Games in 1982.
We also would like to recognise and thank the FGG Ambassadors who have generously given of their time to promote the Gay Games. FGG Ambassadors have a collective experience ranging from Olympian and elite athlete to world-famous performer.
We are honoured to have with us here this week:
from South Africa - Leigh Ann Naidoo, a former Olympic beach volleyball player
from the United Kingdom - John Amaechi, a former professional basketball player
and Chris Morgan, world-champion powerlifter
From Australia - Michelle Ferris, former Olympic cyclist,
And from the United States, David Kopay, former professional football player and the first professional athlete in America to come out publicly.
To our loyal friends, family, partners and supporters, gay or straight, your ongoing support is a key part of the Gay Games movement.
Since 1982 the Gay Games have empowered thousandsof LGBT athletes and artists through sport and culture, and through human rights and fellowship, under the principles that we all know and love: Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best.
And so, we share with everyone here, our sincere hope is that from this point onwards, when you speak about Gay Games VIII in Cologne, you will say, in the words of Gay Games founder, Dr. Tom Waddell,
"I was there, I participated, and I feel great about it"
And to Games Cologne, the City of Cologne, the Land North Rhine Westphalia,and all of Germany, this week, we hope that each and every one of you will be able to take a moment to step back and realise what an accomplishment you have achieved to bring us all here together for Gay Games VIII.
Our wish is that you enjoy this week as much as we will.
Thank you for all that you have done for the Gay Games movement.
This week we join together and say: Ich bin ein Kolner.
Thank you.
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