FAQ / There is nothing special about sport for gays and lesbians, so why single them out with a Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

There is nothing special about sport for gays and lesbians, so why single them out with a Gay Games?

What is most special about LGBT sport is that it offers a safe and welcoming environment for homosexuals to practice their sport. In any case, in every case we practice sports not just to compete, but to share an experience with a community.

In certain sports, there are events that, due largely to homophobia and prejudice about gender roles, are not found outside the LGBT sport. For example, men’s synchronized swimming has still to be accepted in many countries and at the international level. Same-sex pairs in bodybuilding, dance sport, and figure skating are found only at LGBT sports events.

FAQ / The Olympics don’t discriminate against homosexuals, so why don’t you compete there?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

The Olympics don’t discriminate against homosexuals, so why don’t you compete there?

The best gay and lesbian athletes in the world already do compete in the Olympics (with a large majority of them in the closet). But the Olympics, and mainstream sport in general, remain a very difficult place for homosexual athletes to compete, and certainly to compete without hiding their sexual identity. There are countless potential champions who under-perform, or simply don’t participate, in mainstream sport because of homophobia.

Another misconception is that the goal of the Gay Games is to find the best gay and lesbian athletes in the world. As said above, those athletes are competing in elite mainstream sport. The Gay Games do not aim at identifying the best gay athletes, but simply at recognizing the best athletes of all sexual orientation who compete at the Gay Games, a sporting event open to all.

The Olympic Games concern only a tiny fraction of athletes in the world. The Gay Games are about allowing everyone, whatever their level, participate in a major international competition.

FAQ / What is the mission of the Federation of Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the mission of the Federation of Gay Games?
The mission of the Federation of Gay Games is to promote equality through the organization of the premiere international LGBT and gay-friendly sports and cultural event known as the Gay Games.

Less succinctly, according to its bylaws:
The purpose of The Federation of Gay Games shall be to foster and augment the self-respect of gay men and women throughout the world and to engender respect and understanding from the non-gay world, primarily through an organized, international athletic and cultural event held every four years commonly known as the 'Gay Games.' Following the Federation’s guiding principle of inclusion, activities shall be inclusive in nature and no individual shall be excluded from participating on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, political belief(s), athletic/artistic ability, age, physical challenge, or health status.

FAQ / How do the Gay Games differ from other tournaments?

How do the Gay Games differ from other tournaments?

The Gay Games change political culture by challenging sports bodies, media and governments to create more opportunities for athletes regardless of sex, age or physical challenge.

A few historical highlights:

• HIV/AIDS. In 1994 the Games achieved a political milestone, convincing the U.S. Attorney General to allow HIV-infected individuals to enter the U.S. for Gay Games IV without special visas. The Designated Event Status (DES) draws attention to the ramifications of national policies restricting travel by AIDS-affected individuals. The Federation of Gay Games and CGI won that DES designation for the 2006 Chicago Gay Games. In sports that require drug testing, the FGG has worked with LGBT sports leaders to develop anti-doping policies that allow for athletes on banned medications. In 2011 the FGG adopted its first Charter for Sport and HIV.

• Gender. The Gay Games have offered women's wrestling since 1994: 10 years before the Athens Olympic Games. The Games offer 10 weight classes for women; the Olympics offer just four. The Gay Games offer the only international event for men's synchronized swimming, due to FINA's ban on such events. Same-sex pairs in figure skating, bodybuilding and dance sport can be found only in LGBT sports tournaments.

• Homophobia. Olympic champion diver Greg Louganis came out of the closet during the Opening Ceremonies of Gay Games IV, the same year the USOC gave him its highest award. In his acceptance speech, Louganis dedicated his award to Tom Waddell and successfully lobbied to prevent the 1996 Olympic volleyball competition from being held in homophobic Cobb County, Georgia.

• Ageism. Recognizing that seniors over 50 are forecast to be 25 percent of the LGBT community by 2020, the Chicago Gay Games added new age categories in such sports as basketball, softball, volleyball and wrestling. These are in addition to the many Gay Games sports which already have age categories including aquatics, cycling, figure-skating, physique, power lifting, racquetball, road racing, tennis, track and field, and triathlon.

• Gender identiy. Gay Games policies for including transgendered athletes in 2002 set the tone for the Olympics and others to follow, and remain in the forefront of allying fairness and inclusion.

FAQ / The Gay Games were good to have back when they were founded in 1982, but are they still necessary today when homosexuals have complete equality?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

The Gay Games were good to have back when they were founded in 1982, but are they still necessary today when homosexuals have complete equality?

The Gay Games are an international event, which welcome and encourage participation of athletes from countries where discrimination against homosexuals is part of the law, in some places even punishable by death.

But even in places where discrimination against homosexuals is outlawed, in daily life, and perhaps more so in sport, homophobia remains very present. Even in the most progressive countries, homophobia and even violence against gay men and lesbians remain a reality.

One of the missions of the Gay Games is to combat homophobia by providing visibility for the countless gay and lesbian athletes.

FAQ / How many people participate in the Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

How many people participate in the Gay Games?

Since 1994, each Gay Games has drawn 10,000-12,000 participants, figures comparable to the Summer Olympics. The Gay Games are one of the world's largest amateur athletic events, and the largest event open to all adults.

• Gay Games VIII in Cologne in 2010 attracted some 10,000 participants from about 70 countries. 
• Gay Games VII in Chicago in 2006 attracted 11,500 participants from 70 countries. 
• Gay Games VI in Sydney Australia in 2002 attracted 12,100 participants. .

It is difficult to estimate the number of visitors and spectators attracted by the Gay Games, but it clearly represents thousands more in addition to the registered participants, along with hundreds of volunteers from the local community.

FAQ / How do the Gay Games include culture?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

The Olympic Charter states that "Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."

Similarly, since the very beginning, culture has been part of the Gay Games. While more athletes take part than do cultural participants, the Gay Games cultural program is an important part of each edition of the Gay Games.

The required cultural components in any Gay Games include a Choral Festival and a Band Festival. FGG member organizations GALA Choruses and the Lesbian and Gay Band Association help coordinate the participation of hundreds of singers and musicians in a series of performances that start with Opening Ceremony and run through Closing Ceremony, with a hightlight during the Gala Concert bringing together all musicians in a major joint performance.

Performances take place throughout the Games, in the Games Village, at sports venues, and at any number of locations indoors and out.

Another required componenent is a visual arts event, which can include exhibitions, art competitions, and performance art.

A principle of Gay Games cultural program is that events must be inclusive and participatory.

Other cultural events include symphony orchestra performances, cheerleading demonstrations, color guard, poetry slams, as well as ant number of partner events (theater, dance, cinema, exhibitions...).

Learn more HERE.

FAQ / Sport has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, so why have Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

Sport has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, so why have Gay Games?

As stated in the Olympic Charter, The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

In locker rooms and playing fields everywhere in the world athletes talk about their private lives. They celebrate victories with those they love, they travel with their partners, they share their sporting life with their families, and they never imagine that they are supposed to somehow keep sports untainted by any contact with their personal life.

Sport is part of people’s identity and social life, not a job where we go for a certain number of hours each day. No one should have to hide important parts of their identity such as the person they love or the composition of their family just to practice sport.

FAQ / Aren’t the Gay Games just a sort of ghetto for gays and lesbians?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

Aren’t the Gay Games just a sort of ghetto for gays and lesbians?

The Gay Games welcome athletes of all sexual orientation. And the people who participate in the Gay Games continue to compete in sport between each edition of the Gay Games. Some do so exclusively in LGBT sports organizations, but most compete in mainstream sport, both individual and team sport.

FAQ / Games for gay people? Why not Games for Jews and Arabs, while you’re at it?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

Games for gay people? Why not Games for Jews and Arabs, while you’re at it?

• The Maccabiah Games, intended for Jews around the world, have been held since 1932
• The Pan Arab Games have been held since 1953

We are all familiar with sports events on geographical lines. But there are many sports events that cater to other kinds of communities.

• Political, like the Commonwealth Games or the Games of the Small States of Europe
• Ethnic, like the Maccabiah
• Linguistic, like the Francophone Games or the Lusophony Games
• Professional, like the World Police and Fire Games or the Military Games or the World Medical and Health Games
• Age, like the World Masters Games or the Children’s Games
• Disability status, like the Special Olympics or Paralympic Games

FAQ / Why isn't my sport on the program for the Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

Sports programs at Gay Games are proposed by potential hosts, based on a list of sports developed by the FGG.

These include "core sports", a certain number of which are required for bidders, and "additional sports", which are automatically approved for possible inclusion in a sports program. Bidders can also propose new sports not yet on either list (for example, rodeo, which will be on the program for the first time at Gay Games 9 in 2014).

For the list of current sports, as well as sports for which an interest has already been expressed, visit our website HERE.

The best way to get a sport on the program for the Gay Games is to approach bidders for the next edition. And the best way to get a bidder to include your sport is to be organized. We can help sports for which there is no international LGBT sports organization. If you are interested, write us HERE.

FAQ / Why Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 


2006 Tom Waddell Award winner Derek Liecty once responded to the question "Why Gay Games?" with the following statement:
This is a question the Federation gets all the time. It is difficult for a straight athlete, whether male or female, to fully understand the atmosphere and pressure that a closeted gay or lesbian athlete feels when trying to compete or participate in a “straight competition.”

The pervasive discrimination and putdowns of gays and lesbians in the locker room and on the field of play, along with "faggot" jokes and "sissy boy" remarks, to say nothing of the discrimination in access to sports because of being openly gay or lesbian, has had a negative residual impact on countless men and women for decades.

So the Gay Games provide a venue where gay and lesbian athletes can gather and compete in an atmosphere which is free of this discrimination.

The Games are also about breaking down stereotypes and showing the world that gays and lesbians can compete on a level playing field with everyone else. We have had World Records broken at the Gay Games. But the Games also have a need to provide what our founder 1968 Olympic Decathlete Tom Waddell could not find in the Olympic Games, that is, a place where one could participate in a sport regardless of ability, feel welcomed and included and where the goal is simply to do one’s personal best.

It is a very empowering experience for a gay and lesbian athlete to come into a stadium with 10,000 others and say, “Wow! I really am not alone in the world.” The Games are truly at the forefront in the fight for gay and lesbian emancipation and integration.

FAQ / What impact do the Gay Games have on athletes and cultural participants?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

What impact do the Gay Games have on athletes and cultural participants?

For more than two decades, supporters of the Gay Games have brought together thousands of athletes every four years to show the world their pride, their poise and their passion. Every four years Gay Games participants converge to celebrate the empowerment of individual achievement and the triumph of collective cooperation. A primary legacy of the Gay Games has been the athletes and artists themselves, enabling the genesis of countless LGBT athletic and cultural organisations.

The Gay Games have always worked for and are committed to social activism through sports and culture. Creating safe opportunities for LGBT persons to participate in sports and culture is where the Gay Games (and the FGG) have had their biggest impact. The Gay Games is primarily designed to empower the participants, but certainly the great social legacy the Gay Games has had is in the moulding of perceptions.

FAQ / If you’re going to have Gay Games, why can't there be “straight games”?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

If you’re going to have Gay Games, why can't there be “straight games”?

In practice, most sports events are already “straight games”, where the assumption is made that all participants are straight, and where homosexuals must hide their sexual identity.

But the Gay Games are themselves “straight games”. Everyone is welcome, whatever their sexual orientation. It is estimated that about 10% of participants in each edition of the Gay Games are straight, often friends and family members of LGBT participants who participate to show their support and solidarity.

FAQ / What is the Federation of Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:


What is the Federation of Gay Games?

The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) is the umbrella organisation responsible for managing the pre-eminent international LGBT sports and cultural event, the quadrennial Gay Games. Dr. Tom Waddell, a 1968 U.S. Olympic decathlete, envisioned the dream of a multi-sport competition as a showcase for the gay and lesbian community, and in 1982 he and others in San Francisco established the Gay Games as an Olympic-style event. That year, 1,350 participants from 12 countries gathered in late August to compete in 17 sports. The world of LGBT athletics was changed forever as participants returned to their cities and countries, inspired by Gay Games I to establish local clubs for year-round training and competition.

The FGG is a California-based non-profit corporation. Its General Assembly includes sports and culture organisations from every continent.

Additional detail is provided in the Member Handbook and Volunteer Handbook.

FAQ / What are the Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the Gay Games?

The Gay Games are the largest sporting event in the world open to all. Unlike the Olympic Games, they enable people from all walks of life to compete against each other regardless of skill level, age or physical challenge.

The first Gay Games took place in 1982 in San Francisco, bringing together 1,350 athletes from a dozen countries. The Games have been held every four years since in world-class cities. Gay Games VIII in Cologne in 2010 attracted over 10,000 participants from some 70 countries.

The Gay Games are the legacy of Dr. Tom Waddell, a decathlon competitor for the U.S. in the 1968 Olympics. Waddell conceived of the Games as an opportunity for gays and lesbians to show the world that their skills and competitive spirit were equal to the rest of humanity. He wanted to promote better understanding through sport.

The Games define winning as achieving one's personal best. Anyone can participate, regardless of ability, age, sexual orientation, race, gender, nationality, political or religious beliefs, ethnic origins, or HIV status. Athletes represent their cities and not their countries.

FAQ / What's the minimum age to participate in the Gay Games?

Tom Waddell, founder of the Gay Games,
at Gay Games II, with daughter Jessica

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions: 

As a rule, the minimum age to compete has always been 18 on the date of opening ceremony for that edition of the Gay Games.

This is usually required for insurance liability.

Children, accompanied by their parent or guardian, are welcome as spectators at cultural events, sports competitions, and ceremonies. Some Gay Games host organizations make particular efforts to offer special activities, visits, excursions, outings, for the children of participants and visitors.

FAQ / What sports are on offer at the next Gay Games?

From our series of answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

What sports are on offer at the next Gay Games?
You'll find all info on the sports program of Gay Games 9 at this address: 2014gaygamescleveland.com

Here is the current list:

Aquatics Diving
Aquatics Open Water Swim
Aquatics Swimming
Aquatics Synchronized Swimming
Aquatics Water Polo
Aquatics Pink Flamingo
Badminton
Basketball
Beach Volleyball
Billiards
Bodybuilding
Bowling
Cycling
DanceSport
Darts
Figure Skating
Flag Football
Football (Soccer)
Golf
Ice Hockey
Marathon & Road Races
Martial Arts
Powerlifting
Racquetball
Rodeo NEW SPORT
Rowing
Rugby (Union)
Sailing
Softball
Squash
Tennis
Track & Field
Triathlon
Volleyball
Wrestling