Taking stock: A look back at the Federation of Gay Games ... in 2007

poster from Gay Games I

As FGG entered into its first year following the massive restructuring that occurred in November 2006, plans were underway to continue FGG's transformation in a year that marked the Federation's 25th Anniversary.
(View a slide show of 25 photos for 25 years HERE).

Host City Starter Kit: To offer more support for Gay Games Hosts, the Host City Starter Kit was created to centralise information and data needed by Hosts to plan and execute the event. Historical data and reports were organised by year and topic to assist Hosts in learning what worked well in past Gay Games, as well as what might be enhanced in future events. This knowledge is enriched with each edition of the Gay Games, with FGG sports coordinators and host sports managers filing reports on the conduct of each event.

Shared Marketing Efforts: As part of the on-going efforts to share the risks and organising tasks associated with the Gay Games, the FGG began to execute a multi-year plan to reinvest license fees paid by the Host directly into marketing events to promote Gay Games VIII, in particular by building on the experience of Gay Games VII to promote Gay Games VIII in North America.

Delegates and other participants in 2007 Annual Meeting (photo Tracy Baim)

Annual Meeting: The 25th Anniversary Annual Meeting of the FGG was hosted at San Francisco State University's downtown campus. During the Meeting, the first FGG Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Marc Naimark.

Co-presidents Emy Ritt and Brent Minor at Community Day

A sports-filled Community Day at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center marked the end of the official sessions, with demonstrations from Team SF sports clubs, and a performance from the SF Gay Men's Chorus. At the FGG table, visitors could purchase memorabilia and merchandise including a special tshirt featuring the logos of all previous editions of the Gay Games.

This was also the venue for the traditional Memorial Moment, in which the official FGG memorial quilt is displayed to allow participants to add to it the names of loved ones they have lost in the last year.

Paul Mart, a founder of the Gay Games, at the exhibition

25th Anniversary exhibition: The San Francisco Public Library, which hosts the archives of the FGG, organized an important exhibition on the history of the Federation and the Gay Games, making use of the extensive archives of document and memorabilia it holds. Thanks in particular to Rose Mary Mitchell for making this exhibition happen. 

Revised Sports Programme: Also during the Annual Meeting, the FGG finalized new policy to offer increased flexibility to Host organisations, the Gay Games sports programme was optimised to retain the inclusion of sports that are key to the success of the Gay Games, while offering new and local sports that reflect the color, culture and capacity of the Host City. Gay Games 2014 in Cleveland will be the first event to take advantage of this increased flexibility, in particular with the addition of rodeo.

Bruce Hayes and Jim Provenzano (photo Rick Gerhart)

Gala Dinner: Over 300 Gay Games supporters from all over the world attended the 25th anniversary celebration fundraising dinner in San Francisco. The Federation can thank key organisers, including Brent Minor, Alan Lessik, Darl Schaaff, Doug Litwin, and Charles King, for a remarkable event and the many donors and sponsors whose contributions support the ongoing work of the FGG and the Gay Games movement.

FGG Legacy Awards: This celebration was the occasion for the presentation of the first FGG Legacy Awards. Winners included: EGLSF (European Gay & Lesbian Sports Federation), National Center for Lesbian Rights Sports Project, FGG Ambassador and NFL legend David Kopay, and writer Jim Provenzano.

2006
2008
2009
2010