Wele to the 'Gay Gam,' an Olympics alternative, where activism is enuraged and everyone's an athlete | CNN

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Tom Wadll, an athlete the 1968 Olympics, created the Gay Gam first held 1982 to celebrate LGBTQ cln. The Gay Gam are still held to this day wh the next round schled for 2022 Hong Kong.

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WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE

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His gay and lbian iends San Francis, though, had never experienced an event as thrillg or movg as the openg ceremony.

And so Wadll created the Gay Gam – then lled the Gay Olympics, until the Internatnal Olympic Commtee sued over the name.

“The formula for succs was visibily and inty, ” Wadll said an terview followg the first Gay Gam 1982.

GAY GAM X - PARIS 2018

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Wadll died 1987, but the Gay Gam ntue to this day, growg to an ternatnal phenomenon sce their first eratn. They draw over 10, 000 athlet and sometim seven or eight tim as many spectators, said Shiv Pl, vice print of external relatns for the Feratn of Gay Gam. You don’t have to be a profsnal athlete – even a proficient one – to pete the Gay Gam.

And unlike at the Olympics, activism is enuraged at the Gay Gam, as has been sce the begng when the HIV/AIDS crisis was ravagg LGBTQ muni.

10 THGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE GAY GAM, HEADG TO HONG KONG 2022

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Above all, though, the Gay Gam are an event for queer and trans people to gather safely, play sports they love and be themselv whout fear of tolerance. The first Gay Gam were held San Francis 1982, where transmissn of HIV had peaked among the cy’s btlg gay muny. The Gay Gam uld be an act of prott then, too, Wadll cid, an event durg which LGBTQ people uld play the same sports they watched durg the Olympics and achieve the same kd of glory he had at the 1968 Olympics.

IMAG OF GAY GAM ATHLET PTURE PETN AND MUNY

Anyone is wele to register to pete at the Gay Gam - you don't have to be a member of the LGBT muny to take part. * gay games paris sports *

HIV/AIDS awarens has been baked to the Gay Gam sce s ceptn: In addn to banng discrimatn based on genr, sexualy, race and other tras, the Gay Gam wouldn’t allow any participant to be turned away based on their HIV stat. The Gay Gam also succsfully lobbied the US ernment to briefly waive a prev ban on HIV-posive people enterg the untry so they uld pete the 1994 Gay Gam New York and the 1996 Olympics Atlanta, chang ma wh the help of the US Olympic Commtee. Though Wadll emphasized that sports weren’t the central foc of the Gay Gam, the event has hosted athlet wh real prows.

Swimmer Jim Ballard set a world rerd the 100-meter backstroke 2002 at the Sydney Gay Gam. Powerlifter Chris Man began his reer at the Gay Gam and went on to w another 30 medals at var world champnships.

PARIS PRI CELEBRAT SPORTS AHEAD OF THE GAY GAM

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And unlike the “regular Olympics, ” at the Gay Gam, a same-sex figurg skatg pair n don matchg nim jumpsus a performance set to “Hopelsly Devoted to You. The upg Gay Gam will take place next year Hong Kong, where same-sex marriage is not legally regnized. The openg ceremony of the first Gay Gam was the stuff of Wadll’s dreams.

Wadll died of AIDS 1987, one year after the send Gay Gam, but the Gam and his dream for their impact have only grown sce. Participatn the Gay Gam steadily grew every year was held, and 1994, at the New York Gay Gam, the number of participants exceed the number of athlet at the 1994 Wter Olympics.

The 11th Gay Gam, to be held next year Hong Kong, will likely see at least 10, 000 participants. The openg ceremony of the Gay Gam is still emotnal all the years later, Pl said, pecially when participants om untri where homosexualy is not accepted march the Para of Natns. If you go back to ancient tim, the Olympics have a few centuri on the Gay Gam.

HISTORY OF THE GAY GAM

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But if the last few s of eedom and fun at the Gam are any ditn, the Gay Gam will have a long, storied n.

Sce 1982, the Gay Gam have brought together people om all walks of life, whout discrimatn, around the valu of diversy, rpect, equaly, solidary, and sharg.

Wh sport beg a medium for togetherns and cln, the Gay Gam are OPEN TO ALL and offer everyone the opportuny to participate their own way. As athlet, artists, supporters, spectators, donors, volunteers, nference participants, sponsors, or simply anyone terted this project, everyone has a role to play at the Gay Gam and help make thgs happen.

GAY GAM: MEET THE TEAM LGBT ATHLET PETG AT PARIS 2018

Its primary foc was the promotn, anizatn and livery of Gay Gam X Augt 2018. Its goals were:To bat all forms of discrimatn, based on creria tablished by EU and French law, particular sexual orientatn and genr inty, To promote the regnn of the inty and eedoms of LGBT (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr) people the ntext and ethics of stggl related to promotg human rights and fundamental eedoms;To promot health cludg through rmatn and preventn on issu of STIs, HIV / AIDS, ncer, dopg, dg e, and other risks;To clu specific programs to make Gay Gam X accsible to the greatt number, cludg disadvantaged people or people wh special needs. While November 2022 may seem far off, LGBTQ athlet the world over are trag and workg hard ahead of the Gay Gam’ 11th stallment, set to take place Hong Kong.

Tom Wadll — who himself was an Olympian, havg peted the 1968 Mexi Cy Olympic Gam and placg sixth the thlon — found the Gay Gam, a sports petn moled after the Olympic Gam. Takg place every four years and welg athlet om nearly 100 untri, the Gay Gam have que a legacy, and tertg facts about the ternatnal sportg event abound. Over 40 years, the Gay Gam have been hosted by untri and ci around the world.

THE GAY GAM START THIS WEEKEND. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Vanuver, New York, Amsterdam, Sydney, Chigo, Cologne, Cleveland and Akron have all played host for the Gay Gam, wh the most recent eratn — Gay Gam X — takg place Paris 2018. The 2002 Sydney Gay Gam (photo urty of Patrick Riviere/Getty Imag).

2022, when the Gay Gam e to Hong Kong, marks the first year Asia will host the gam.

THE PARIS GAY GAM PICTUR: ‘THE ATMOSPHERE IS REALLY ELECTRIC’

As we noted prevly, the Gay Gam are open to all, no matter one’s sexual orientatn or genr inty.

This policy cis wh the Gay Gam’ three re prcipl of Participatn, Incln and Personal Bt.

Today the Gay Gam wele athlet petg more than 30 different sports. Back 1982, the Gay Gam saw athlet pete a number of sports — basketball, billiards, bowlg, cyclg, divg, golf, marathon, physique, powerliftg, soccer, softball, swimmg, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrtlg — but e 2022, the total number of sports have reached 36. For the very first time Gay Gam history, Hong Kong will see athlet pete dodgeball and e-sports.

SPORTS AT THE GAY GAMES

In every prev eratn of the Gay Gam there have been Cafés Philosophiqu, which are basilly nferenc and panel discsns on topics of tert to the LGBTQ muny.

At the Paris Gay Gam 2018, topics vered how sports n bat discrimatn and sports as a source of well-beg and health. Closg Ceremony for the 1994 New York Cy Gay Gam (photo urty Getty Imag).

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

The Internatnal Rabow Memorial Run opens every Gay Gam week, and there’s typilly a slew of programmg at the Gay Gam ftival village and venu throughout the cy.

Here’s a historil tidb you may not know: Back 1982, when Ta Turner was attemptg to rurrect her reer as a solo artist (havg prevly performed wh her ex-hband Ike), she performed at the openg ceremony of the 1982 Gay Gam Goln Gate Park.

Famo gay thor Armistead Mp (Tal of the Cy) was the master of ceremoni that same year. Speakers at past Gay Gam clu Ian McKellen, Barack Obama and more. In 1994, the Gay Gam me to New York Cy memoratn of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprisg, and Sir Ian McKellen gave the closg addrs at Yankee Stadium.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

In 2014, Print Barack Obama opened the 2014 Cleveland+Akron Gay Gam wh a pre-rerd vio welg athlet om around the world to the gam. Openg Ceremony for the 1994 New York Cy Gay Gam (photo urty Getty Imag). While today ’s more supportive, the Olympics once sued the Gay Gam.

Ahead of very first Gay Gam 1982, the event was lled the “Gay Olympics, ” which ed the Uned Stat Olympic Commtee to sue Wadll and his anizatn. Jt 19 days before those very first gam were to take place, the Olympic Commtee secured an junctn, but stead of ncelg the gam, they went forward unr a new name — the Gay Gam — and were a huge succs. In the past, the Gay Gam have had more petg athlet than the Olympic Gam.

The very first Gay Gam is said to have brought 1, 350 athlet om 11 untri to San Francis, but the roster of athlet who pete the days is signifintly larger.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY GAMES PARIS SPORTS

Gay Gam: Meet the Team LGBT athlet petg at Paris 2018 | News | Sky Sports .

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