Medal-winning table tennis players keeping fit

A video from Pink Pong, the lead promoters of Table Tennis at Gay Games VIII::

Practice at Paradise, in Sunnyside, Queens, June 14, 2012.

Battle between the two gold medalists from the Gay Games VIII in Cologne, Germany Lee Hao and Wolfgang Busch, who won the gold together in the Doubles Recreational Division. Team NY dominated the Recreational Division winning 8 medals total.

Also in the video is our Under 1750 ranking tournament winner and silver medalist from Cologne in the C Division Hai He, Most Improved Player of the year 2010 and 2011 Kevin Wallace, founding member Rodolfo Simons and Jeff Warren playing Lee. During practice everybody plays everybody, winning 2 out of 3 games, which gives the lower level players the opportunity to play better players.

29 October 2011 / Yellow Rome Open Tennis and Indoor Football tournament

YELLOW SPORT is proud to present the 3rd Edition of YELLOW ROME OPEN 2011 a TENNIS and FUTSAL INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT under the patronage of FGG member organizations GLTA (Gay & Lesbian Tennis Association) and IGLFA (International Gay & Lesbian Football Association) with the support of the EGLSF.


The YELLOW ROME OPEN 2011 will be held in Rome on September 29th/October 2nd at two venues for tennis, the T.C. GARDEN and the T.C. APPIO CLAUDIO in Rome, and at A.S.D. LA TORRE for futsal. The tennis tournament will have SINGLES, DOUBLES and MIXED DOUBLES draws and CONSOLATIONS draws for all the categories (except for doubles).

The ICONS' CUP 2011, international futsal tournament, part of the main event of Yellow Rome Open, will see the participation of men & women international soccer teams from all over the world. It will be held in 2 days for women and 1 day for men, in an athletic and exhausting race to the victory!

The Yellow event also has the support of the City of Rome - X Town Council, of the Province of Rome and of the Lazio Region Board. During the event the main high schools' students of the X Town Council will compete for the drawing competition "A smash for the Civil Rights", with the theme : "A sign for integration".

All info, registration and details at www.yellowsport.it or by email at: yellowroma@gmail.com

COME & PARTICIPATE.......BE FIRST IN THE CAPITAL OF HISTORY!!!!

Billie Jean King chairs "Tennis in the Park"

Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King chairs Tennis in the Parks, a partnership between the United States Tennis Association - USTA and National Park and Recreation Association that provides opportunities for the public to learn and play tennis.

Learn more HERE.

A look back at Oregon athletes at Gay Games VIII

We missed this last year, but the anniversary of Gay Games VIII is a great opportunity to post some extracts from this article about Oregon athletes in Cologne:


That’s it, folks. Four years in the making, Gay Games VIII—held July 31–August 7 in Cologne, Germany—is over and done with. Boasting 10,000 athletes from 75 different countries participating in 35 sports, the event hosted GLBTQ athletes for camaraderie, equality and competition. And right in the thick of it were some of Oregon’s elite competitors muscling their way into the spotlight. Some traveled within the Team Oregon 2010 pack—a self-funded group of GLBTQ Oregon athletes—and some paved their way while also setting up regional rock ‘n’ roll gigs in Europe. Either way, Oregon can be proud of this year’s alumni—and all those medals they brought back.

Table tennis superstar and queercore punk rock pioneer Kaia Wilson took to Cologne with her sights set on winning gold, but managed to expand her social swath by booking a short tour in Germany along with fellow Oregon Gay Gamer and musician Debbie Fox.

“The atmosphere was very inclusive and friendly, with some tangents into party-time/cruising—I mean, I didn’t do that! Come on!” joked Wilson. “[There was] also a very serious competitive athletic agenda by most participants.”

Wilson won a gold medal in mixed doubles along with her lottery-drawn table tennis partner Joyce Stuart, but failed to advance past the first round in her singles division. Wilson also took home a bronze medal in the team singles event.

[...]

As for the distant future, all of the athletes from Oregon were busy looking ahead to 2014 when the games come to Cleveland, Ohio.

“The Gay Games have made me super gay jazzed about international gay sporting events!” raved Wilson. “I am a huge fan and really recommend folks try to do it. Next Gaymes will be in 2014 in the U.S.A.! Start training now!”

Read in full HERE.

27 May 2011 / United States Gay Open tennis tournament in San Francisco

A message from tournament director Alex Lin:

Memorial Weekend, May 27-30, 2011
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

It began with one person, one mind, one vision.

In 1981, there was one idea to organize an openly gay tennis tournament, in which individuals could freely and proudly participate in the sport they love, regardless of sexual orientation or gender.

Now, thirty years later, this one idea by Les Balmain has blossomed into an international tennis tournament, which has spread its mission and belief to the forty gay and lesbian tennis clubs around the world that comprise the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance.

With that same love and pride, the 2011 United States Gay Open returns to its birthplace, Golden Gate Park. I am honored to be the Tournament Director of this year's USGO and to take it beyond 30 years of dedication and inspiration.

 Find out more about USGO HERE.

19 Feb 2011 / En español: Jornada Tenis-Natacion-Futbol para Elaios

Hola deportistas!

El sabado 19 de febrero tendra lugar en el PARQUE DEPORTIVO EBRO la primera jornada conjunta de las secciones de Natación y Tenis. La jornada consistira en un torneo interno de tenis de dia completo (que servirá para subir puestos en la clasificación) cuyas fases previas se jugaran por la mañana.

A partir de las 12:00 vendra gente de la seccion de natacion para hacer sus entrenamientos y ayudar a aquellas personas del torneo de tenis que lo deseen a mejorar su tecnica acuatica mediante juegos en la piscina.

A medido dia tendremos comida de hermandad, y por la tarde se jugaran las finales del torneo y en las pistas libres se dara una clase de iniciacion al tenis a los miembros de natacion que asi lo deseen.

Para terminar, iremos a apoyar a la seccion de futbol en su triangular del dia de la homofobia y los que aun podamos con nuestra alma iremos a cenar y salir.

Por favor, si te apetece unirte a esta actividad, ponte en contacto con la seccion de natacion (natacion@elaios.org) ocon la de tenis(tenis@elaios.org)
 

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Desde el pasado año 2010, el 19 de febrero se conmemora la lucha contra la homofobia en el fútbol. Esta fecha se corresponde con el día de nacimiento de Justin Fashanu, primer y único futbolista relevante que hizo pública su homosexualidad. Para colaborar con la lucha por erradicar la homofobia del fútbol surgió la "Justin Campaign" (http://www.thejustincampaign.com/).

Elaios, por iniciativa de su sección de Fútbol y con el respaldo del Consejo de Gobierno, convoca el primer TORNEO AMISTOSO CONTRA LA HOMOFOBIA EN EL FÚTBOL en el que participarán equipos invitados y el combinado de Elaios. El evento tendrá lugar el día 19 de febrero a las 19:30 horas en el Pabellón Deportivo "Ciudad de Zaragoza" (C/Ntra.Sra.del Salz), en el barrio de Delicias.

Esperamos contar con tu presencia y todo tu apoyo en esta causa!

Kaia Wilson's Gay Games VIII table tennis performance makes Portland top-5 list

qPDX.com offers its lists for 2010, starting with sport, and featuring a local Gay Games VIII athlete. Here's an extract from their sports list:

The quadriennel Gay Games, sort of an LGBT Olympics, were held in Cologne, Germany this year. And aside from the sheer awesomeness of having such a huge event that shows the world that sissies can also be jocks, Portland sent one of it’s own. Better known for her music, Kaia Wilson earned a couple medals this year in the sport of table tennis. If you want to check out any recaps or pictures OutSports.com has a whole Gay Games section.

Kaia Wilson on her Gay Games VIII experience

From an interview with musician and table tennis player Kaia Wilson in AfterEllen:

AE: How did you get involved in the Gay Games?
KW: Well I got into ping pong, like, heavily into it, competitively, and someone said I should compete at the Gay Games. I researched it and then decided to make it a goal.

AE: Is it something you’re going to do again?
KW: I had an incredible time on so many levels. It was sweeeeet to go to Germany, and I did a solo tour before the Gay Games started, which was amazing. I loved meeting and competing with international queers! I loved the sense of community and the level of serious training people had done to prepare for their sport. The gay table tennis nerds are pretty much the same as any table tennis nerds anywhere! And I have a ping pong blog if you'd like to check it out: spinslayer.com.

Read the full interview HERE.

Table tennis at Gay Games Cologne

About 130 participants from 15 countries competed in the Gay Games Cologne Table Tennis competition. Cologne marked a return of the sport to the Gay Games as it was not contested in Chicago in 2006. Men's and women's singles and doubles, by ability division, as well as Hobby and Master's divisions were offered.

In the men's Championship A division, Michael Mahlstedt of Germany defeated Amir Ahmed of Austria for the gold and silver medals. Roland Kariger of Austria and Ronny Richter of Germany won the bronze medals. But the singles weren't the only place where these 4 men shined. In the doubles final Michael and Amir teamed up to win gold over, you guessed it, Roland Ronny who got the silver. Bronze in Men's doubles, championship A, went to Lars Afrell of Sweden teaming up with Walter Esser of Germany.

Women's Championship A saw Miriam Bartels of Germany defeating Ruth Delattre of Germany for the gold. Miriam and Ruth also met in the women's doubles final AND the mixed doubles final, but on opposite sides. Ruth and her partner Lars Afrell from Sweden defeated Miriam and her partner ronny Richter of Germany in the Mixed Doubles finals, whereas Miriam and her partner Uta Schultheiss turned the tables to win gold over Ruth and her partner Andrea Kroller in an all Germany women's doubles finals in Championship A.

The Championship B division proved even more powerful for the home team Germany with all golds going to German players. Hungary shared in the mixed doubles silver, Greece shared in a men's doubles bronze and Nick Moy and Ju-Young Joun of the UK were the only fully non-German team to win a medal (bronze in men's doubles).

Those of you who were rooting for American Kaia Wilson, whose blog chronicled her preparation for the the Gay Games and was often featured on this blog, will be pleased to know that she won a gold medal in women's doubles in the champship C division, teaming up with fellow American Joyce Stuart. She also won a bronze in the co-ed team competition. Kaia is a musician from Portland, Oregon, best known for cofounding Team Dresch, a 1990s queercore punk band, and The Butchies, a pop-rock spin-off from her solo work.

A special shoutout also from me to Wolfgang Busch of Team New York who was very helpful in the early stages of getting New Yorkers organized for these Gay Games. In the Recreational Division, Wolfgang took Gold in men's doubles, gold in mixed doubles, and bronze in men's singles.

The full set of results are available HERE. Congratulations to all participants.