A very positive article by Dale Roberts in QNews (Australia) honored the many athletes from Queensland who participated at Gay Games XI in Hong Kong and Guadalajara. The article is titled "QLD Athletes Share Their Inspiring Gay Games Experience" and includes some quotes from FGG Delegate Darryl Gould. Photo: Sam Baramee The author of this article would also like to call out and thank Kim Shephard from Sydney who ran the bowling tournament. He did a great job while bringing home a medal in the team event! Kim is at the far left in the photo below, helping to hold up the flag of Mexico. Double ..read more

2023 Tom Waddell Award recipient Roger Brigham (along with Emy Ritt of Paris, France) is a retired journalist who authored a regular sports column ("Jock Talk") in the Bay Area Reporter newspaper for 15 years. Despite some serious health issues, Roger has just returned from Guadalajara with a new appreciation for the Gay Games, which was delayed a year due to COVID and was also simultaneously held in Hong Kong. Despite media reports leading up to the events that focused on low attendance and other issues, Brigham writes that once the Games actually started, volunteers who worked behind th ..read more

On the eve of the Opening of Gay Games XI, the venerable National Geographic magazine has published a very flattering article about Guadalajara, one of the two cities (along with Hong Kong) hosting the event. The article, by Charlotte Lytton, describes Guadalajara as "One of Mexico’s biggest and most historic cities, but Jalisco’s state capital is only just stepping into the international limelight." Read the entire article HERE ..read more

The Federation of Gay Games has announced the two recipients of the 2023 Dr. Tom Waddell Award for significant service and commitment to LGBTQ+ sport and culture. Tom Waddell Award recipients Emy Ritt (left) and Roger Brigham (right) From six finalists, two people of different genders have been chosen to receive this prestigious award by the Tom Waddell Award Selection Committee and by the Board of Directors of the Federation of Gay Games. Emy Ritt has been nominated for her many years of service to the Gay Games movement, in particular serving on the FGG Board which included&n ..read more

by Shamey Cramer    Left: Mexico City Olympics Opening Ceremony 12 October 1968; Right: Tom Waddell at the Mexico City Olympics   The initial concept to have a sports and cultural festival open to all was born on Saturday 12 October 1968 (exactly 55 years ago today). That was the day when Dr. Thomas F. Waddell, a member of the U.S. Decathlon team, walked into the stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Mexico City Summer Olympics. As he would later state, he felt as if his heart was going to burst; and that it was something everyone should experience. In the end, it wa ..read more

The 2023 finalists for the prestigious Tom Waddell Award were announced on 15 September. They were chosen from a larger field of nominees who were considered by the Award Sub-Committee. The six individuals are: Award #1: Roger Brigham, Oakland USA Shamey Cramer, Los Angeles USA Kurt Dahl, Ft. Lauderdale USA Award #2: Laura Moore, New York City USA Emy Ritt, Paris France Annette Wachter, Cologne Germany Congratulations to all these finalists! The Tom Waddell Award Sub-Committee will make its final selection of the two Award recipients on 26 September. That decision will be confirmed at the FGG ..read more

Today, 28 August is "Diversity In Sport Day." Their new podcast, "Matters of Inclusion," is now live! Tune in to hear World and Paralympic champion Candace Cable, the first woman to medal in both the Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, discussing her career, her inspirations and the topic of "ableism." At the very end of this podcast, Shamey Cramer includes a really nice reference to Gay Games XI, happening in November for the first time in Asia and in Latin America. World and Paralympic champion Candace Cable with DiS co-founder Shamey Cramer To see Candace Cable win her bronze medal in the ..read more

By Roger Brigham I was disappointed to miss out on the chance to make history at the first Gay Games in 1982 in San Francisco – but am delighted to have the opportunity to make history this year at Gay Games XI in Guadalajara. Roger Brigham at the 2019 FGG annual meeting in Guadalajara Come November, I’ll be one of the longtime Gay Games supporters greeting athletes and artists, coaches and officials, as they gather in the land of tequila and mariachi to wrestle and run, cheer and shoot, dance and dive, in what has proven to be one of the most enduring and valuable institutions our community ..read more

Gay Games pioneer Jean-Nickolaus Tretter passed away at age 74 in December 2022. On 24 June 2023, a crowd celebrated Tretter's life on the first day of the Twin Cities Pride Festival in Minnesota, USA. Tretter was an organizer of the first Twin Cities Pride event in 1972, and was a major participant and organizer during Gay Games I and beyond.  Read more about the life of Jean-Nickolaus Tretter and his impact on the Gay Games HERE. The Federation of Gay Games was represented at this event by Honorary Life Member Shamey Cramer of Los Angeles, CA. This article was written by Jess ..read more

She gave the iconic performance at the Gay Games I Opening Ceremony in 1982. The entire global Gay Games community is saddened to hear of the passing of long time ally and iconic legend Tina Turner. We are grateful that Ms. Turner was the feat.ured entertainer at Gay Games I (also called the “first Gay OLYMPIC Games") at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco on 28 August 1982. Tina Turner's performance was referenced numerous times in the 40-part "Passing The Torch" series published by the FGG in 2022 as part of the 40th Anniversary celebration. To read some of those comments from post #32, click HER ..read more