SAN FRANCISCO, CA ( 28 JANUARY 2018 ) The Federation of Gay Games ( FGG ) and Gay Games 11 — Hong Kong 2022 organizers have officially signed the license agreement finalizing the agreement between the FGG ( International governing organization ) and Gay Games 11 — Hong Kong 2022 ( Local host organization ). On 12 August 2018, at the Closing Ceremony of Gay Games 10 Paris, the ceremonial Gay Games flag will be passed from Paris to Hong Kong.
"The Federation of Gay Games is thankful to the Hong Kong organizers for their successful bid efforts, but we are more excited for our historic first opportunity to promote equality in Asia," states co-president Sean Fitzgerald ( Vancouver, Canada ). "The FGG Board and steering committee will be working closely with the Hong Kong team over the next five years to produce a very successful Gay Games", continues co-president Joanie Evans ( London, England ).
Dennis Philipse, founder & chair of Hong Kong 2022 goes on to state, "Winning the bid to host the Gay Games in Hong Kong in 2022 has been the achievement of a dedicated and wonderful team which I'm proud to lead. The signing of the license agreement marks an important step in the continuation of this amazing journey. A journey that will culminate with the first ever Gay Games in Asia, an incredible milestone for the Federation of Gay Games and participants from the region."
The FGG expresses continued gratitude to the record number of 17 cities that expressed interest in 2022 Gay Games 11. The three finalist cities were Guadalajara ( MEX ), Hong Kong ( CHN ), Washington D.C. ( USA ). The five cities that made it to the semi-final round were Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Salt Lake City, UT, and San Francisco, CA. In the first phase, an additional nine cities had expressed interest: Cape Town, South Africa, Tel Aviv, Israel and USA cities Anaheim, CA, Atlanta, GA, Des Moines, IA, Los Angeles, CA, Madison, WI, Minneapolis, MN, and San Antonio, TX.
"Gay Games Change the World" and the impact in host cities is incredible in terms of culture, sport, economic impact, history and most importantly elevating all matters of LGBT+ equality.
Paris 2018 - Gay Games 10 takes place 4-12 August 2018, features 36 sports, 14 cultural events, academic conference and up to 15,000 participants from 70+ countries. Paris2018.com .
Since 1982, the FGG mission promotes equality and is the largest sport and culture event in the world open to all. Its legacy changes social, and political attitudes towards LGBT+ people through the core principles of "Participation, Inclusion and Personal BestTM". The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982. Subsequent Gay Games are San Francisco ( 1986 ), Vancouver ( 1990 ), New York ( 1994 ), Amsterdam ( 1998 ), Sydney ( 2002 ), Chicago ( 2006 ), Cologne ( 2010 ), Cleveland+Akron ( 2014 ), and Paris ( 2018 ).
Media: bit.ly/FGGMedia .
"Gay Games," "Federation of Gay Games," the interlocking circles device, and the phrase "Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best" are trademarks of the Federation of Gay Games, Inc. Trademarks are registered in the USA, Canada, Benelux, the UK, Germany, and Australia.
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