Ritt and Brigham are joint winners of Dr. Tom Waddell Award; duo will be honoured at Gay Games XI in Hong Kong and Guadalajara, beginning on November 3; Brigham says award is “sweet recognition of the value of volunteering and advocating for the Gay Games values and community”… The Federation of Gay Games has announced Emy Ritt and Roger Brigham as joint winners of the Dr. Tom Waddell Award. The honour recognises significant service and commitment to LGBTQ+ sport and culture. Ritt and Brigham were selected by an FGG committee and the Board of Directors from a shortlist of six nominees. Both r ..read more

The start of the first-ever Gay Games to be held in Asia is now just 100 days away; “we welcome anyone to join us to create history,” say Gay Games Hong Kong co-chair and Federation of Gay Games co-president in article addressing the importance of visibility, political realities, safety concerns, and more… By Lisa Lam and Joanie Evans Footballer Zander Murray speaking at a Gay Games Hong Kong event in June Joanie Evans Joanie Evans is the co-president of the Federation of Gay Games, and Lisa Lam is the co-chair of Gay Games Hong Kong. With 100 days to go until “Games Day”, we are proud and exc ..read more

Federation of Gay Games whittles host bids down from 20 to eight, with Liverpool among cities not going through… By Jon Holmes Liverpool’s bid to host Gay Games XII in 2026 has come to an end after they failed to make it through to the next stage of the selection process. It means the UK’s wait to host the quadrennial LGBT+-inclusive sports festival continues. The first Gay Games was held in San Francisco in 1982 and has grown to become one of the world’s biggest participation events, with over 10,000 people competing in 36 different sports at the last staging in Paris two years ago. The 2022 ..read more

Participants encouraged to sign up now for Gay Games XI, which will be co-hosted in Latin America and Asia in November next year; only five sports – athletics, swimming, football, tennis and badminton – are set to feature in both cities, leaving some athletes with tough choices; Hong Kong says it is expecting 7,000 athletes and artists, and 25,000 spectators By Jon Holmes The rainbow march at the opening ceremony of Gay Games 9 in Cleveland in 2014 (image by Koji Kawano, Creative Commons) Registration has opened for Gay Games XI which will be co-hosted next year by Hong Kong and Guadalajara ..read more

The Gay Games recently marked its 40th anniversary, just a few months after its co-President Joanie Evans celebrated a milestone birthday of her own. Joanie became an ambassador for Sporting Heritage earlier this year so in support of its annual event – and after a summer in which England finally brought football home – we asked her to reflect on her role in LGBTQ+ sports history… By Jon Holmes Joanie Evans has been co-President of the Federation of Gay Games since 2014 “It’s very important for me to be out as a lesbian… because I enjoy football so much, if I can’t give the whole of myself, I ..read more

Spanish city bid named presumptive host for Gay Games XII, set to take place three years after rescheduled event in Hong Kong in 2023; disappointment for Munich and Guadalajara; vote held at Gay Games AGM in Brighton; “Our dream has come true,” say Valencia’s bid organisers By Jon Holmes The Gay Games will return to Europe in 2026 – and will be held in Spain for the first time in its history – after Valencia was named presumptive host for the 12th edition of the multisports event. At the Royal Pavilion in Brighton on Thursday, the Federation of Gay Games announced the winning bid at the concl ..read more

Federation of Gay Games announces shortlist of host bids has been reduced to three, with Auckland, Brisbane, San Diego, Taipei, and Toronto all cut… By Jon Holmes Cities in either Germany, Spain or Mexico will host Gay Games XII in 2026, the Federation of Gay Games has announced. The latest round of the bidding process was held during the FGG General Assembly on Sunday, with only Munich, Valencia and Guadalajara left vying to become the host city for the 12th edition of the major international multi-sports event in five years’ time. Bid organisers from Auckland, Brisbane, San Diego, Taipei, a ..read more

By Jon Holmes The Metro Mayor of Liverpool is among those backing plans for a bid to bring the Gay Games to the city region in 2026. If the bid by the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Pride Foundation is successful, it would be the first time since the Games began in 1982 that the UK has hosted the inclusive multi-sports event. The last Gay Games, held by Paris in summer 2018, attracted over 10,000 athletes participating in over 30 different sports. Speaking on Tuesday, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “I’m delighted that the Liverpool City Region Pride Foundation has ..read more