FGG Press Release - FGG Condemns Croatian Football President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kelly Stevens, FGG Officer of Communications, kstevens@gaygames.org
Telephone +1 206-446-6983 Skype: kelly.stevensusa

Federation of Gay Games Condemns Croatian Football President

Intolerance and ignorant comment by the president of the Croatian Football Federation are not acceptable in sport.

San Francisco, CA – (9 November 2010) - The international Federation of Gay Games strongly condemns the declaration made by Vlatko Markovic , President of the Croatian Football Federation, in a recent interview with Croatian newspaper Vecernji List.

In this interview, Mr. Markovic declared that there was no place for gay players on the national side, stating "While I'm a president of the Croatian Football Federation, there will be no homosexuals playing in the national team". When asked whether in his career he has met a homosexual footballer, he replied: "Luckily, only normal people play football".

Emy Ritt (Paris), co-president of the FGG, said of Markovic: "These comments are totally unacceptable and represent language and thinking that we hoped were no longer found in any sports official, let alone the president of a national sports federation. We support our member organizations qSport Croatia and the International Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation in their actions in response to this serious incident, and our friends at the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation in their response via Football Against Racism in Europe."

For information about the Federation of Gay Games, visit www.gaygames.org.

The ninth edition of the quadrennial Gay Games will be held in Cleveland + Akron, OH August 9-16, 2014. For information about Gay Games IX Cleveland 2014, visit www.gaygames.org .

About The Federation of Gay Games:

The international Federation of Gay Games is the governing body the quadrennial Gay Games and promotes the event's founding principles of “Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best”™. The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982 with 1,350 participants. Subsequent Gay Games were held in San Francisco (1986 - 3,500 participants), Vancouver (1990 - 7,300 participants), New York (1994 - 12,500 participants), Amsterdam (1998 - 13,000 participants), Sydney (2002 - 11,000 participants), Chicago (2006 - 11,700 participants), and Cologne, (2010 – 10,000 participants). Gay Games IX will be held in Cleveland, OH 9-16 August 2014.

“Gay Games”, “Federation of Gay Games”, the interlocking circles device, and the phrase “Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best” are trademarks of the Federation of Gay Games, Inc. Trademarks are registered in the USA, Canada, Benelux, the UK, Germany and Australia.

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