Bart Abeel is planning to compete in a short-distance running event at the 2013 World Outgames in Antwerp, Belgium. Or maybe a swimming event.
After all, he participated in both sports at the 2007 EuroGames, also held in Antwerp, though he didn't claim a medal in either.
"I plan to do something because I like sports," said Abeel, 47. "But I probably won't [participate] in a major, long-distance [running] event because I will be pretty busy."
Abeel is, you see, the chairman of the board for World Outgames Antwerp, the local organizing committee for the third quadrennial sports and cultural extravaganza, scheduled for Aug. 3-11, 2013.
Antwerp was officially awarded the 2013 Outgames in December 2009.
The inaugural Outgames was held in Montreal in 2006, and then Copenhagen hosted the event in 2009.
"We were very happy, satisfied and a bit relieved," to win the bid for the 2013 Outgames, Abeel said. "It took us a long time to get all of the necessary funding before we signed the official contract [with GLISA]. But we now have the city, province and local government, their support and commitment. So we are now working to build a very memorable edition of the World Outgames.
"The event is in 2013, so we now are setting up a daily operation to start our marketing [and] fundraising, including reaching out to the private sector. We also are working on building partnerships that we will need in terms of logistics, marketing, transportation and more. We are building a management team."
Abeel, who is single, lives in the Old City Center of Antwerp. He was born in Ypres and raised near Brussels. He went to Antwerp to study and decided to stay.
"The local city government finds it very important that these Outgames create a message of how we live here, what our values are," Abeel said. "We are going to work with [the] local government, and local professional sports federations locally and across Europe to learn how to organize a big, major sports event."
Belgium is the home to some of the top professional female tennis players, including Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer.
"We are trying to include and incorporate as many well-known sports people, not necessarily just gay people, to make it is an open event. We want to include as many people as possible, not just gays, though gay people first," Abeel said.
Belgium boasts 172 different nationalities, Abeel saidand he wants to attract participants from as many of them as possible.
"Hopefully throughout all of the big cities in Belgium, not just Antwerp," they will come to the Outgames, he said. "Starting in 2013, we want the general public in Antwerp to know that the World Outgames is happening in August, 2013, in Antwerp. We want to make it a major sports and cultural event in Antwerp.
"Our ultimate mission is that, after 2013, we can say that something has changed," regarding the perception of gays. Not just in Antwerp, but beyond Belgium.
Abeel said he has a direct connection with Clijsters, and will reach out to have her involved in the Outgames. "I think that would be an extremely strong statement," he said.
Abeel confirmed the Outgames will be marketed extensively throughout the U.S., beginning in 2011at LGBT sporting events and through tourism bureaus. And also through major LGBT media in the U.S.
Abeel said the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany, were very successful from the Outgames' perspective. The Outgames was very visible in Cologne, even holding a Belgium Day in the Rainbow Village in Cologne.
Early-bird registration for Antwerp is already at about 300.
"We watched and learned [in Cologne], things to do and things not to do," Abeel said.
Abeel is, naturally, concerned about the worldwide economic crisis.
"It worries everyone," he said. "It's not making our job easy, but, this is such a prestigious event, I think we can convince big, important companies to support the event and participants to attend. I think we'll be successful, based on the nature of the project.
"What we really learned from Copenhagen was the planning and the budget; we know those are two very important elements."
Abeel said the 2013 event definitely will include a human rights conference, as has been an Outgames staple.
Are you on track as a whole?
"Yes, we are," Abeel said.