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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Badminton player Fangmin in "Be Part of It" documentary

One of the best overviews of the Gay Games, with a focus on their impact on Chinese participants, is found in Be Part of It, a new documentary from FGG partner organization QueerComrades.com, using footage and interviews from Gay Games VIII.

View it on their website: part 1 and part 2.

Here's a transcript from the interview with badminton player Fangmin:

I played four games and lost all of them. My badminton competition is finished now.
But I feel that the Gay Games... although I played badly, I still feel happy after finishing my matches. I learned a lot about badminton. I feel very happy; I want to improve my game and I want to participate in the next Gay Games.

My opponent in my third match really made a deep impression on me; she's a German girl called Lucia. She's so nice. Her skill level is much higher than mine, but she let me come into the match and always made sure I could return her shots.

When I compare the Gay Games to the Olympics, the Gay Games are more of a friendly sporting event. The competition aspect is much less important; you're really playing, having fun. The Gay Games give young people like me lots of opportunities. It's fantastic! I really hope other sport events can be like the Gay Games and that they can also let young people and foreigners participate in the fun, and that everyone can do sports and talk with each other.

It's fantastic and the people are amazing. Everyone is participating in this big event. Straight families, old and young, everyone is part of it. I saw a really small child on the metro ride home with the Gay Games logo on his face. Maybe he came to the Opening Ceremony together with his parents, together with the whole family.

The Federation of Gay Games gave me a scholarship to come here, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make it. They also put me in touch with a German family and they're hosting me in their home. They're really super friendly. They're so enthusiastic, they really support this event. It gives me such a warm feeling. They cook delicious food for me every day and they always take us out to have fun. We're like a real family.

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