Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Cleveland still hosting the 2014 Gay Games?
News update Monday, July 19, 2010
by Ross Forman
2010-07-21

This article shared 4524 times since Wed Jul 21, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


As the opening ceremony for the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany, on July 31, rapidly approaches, there's a shocking firestorm surrounding the 2014 Games in Cleveland.

Will the 2014 Games still be held in Cleveland? And who is/will be the organizing committee?

Lots of questions are coming from Cleveland and elsewhere, but there are few concrete answers, so far.

One thing for certain is, though: The City of Cleveland sent a letter to the Cleveland Synergy Foundation July 7 stating that the Federation of Gay Games ( FGG ) is terminating Synergy's license agreement for Gay Games 2014 and that the city is halting all payments to Synergy.

The letter was sent from Tracey A. Nichols, director of the Department of Economic Development for the City of Cleveland. The letter was sent to the three leading officials with the Cleveland Synergy Foundation: Doug Anderson, Jeff Axberg and Brian Tarolier.

A copy of the letter also was sent to multiple people within the City of Cleveland, including Ken Silliman ( chief of staff ) .

On July 6, the FGG notified Synergy that the federation was exercising its right to terminate the license agreement with Synergy for the 2014 Games.

Kelly Stevens, the FGG's officer of communications, said July 19 by phone that the FGG "is looking forward to going to Cleveland for Gay Games IX in 2014." But anything beyond that, including, who will be running the Cleveland organizing committee, received a "no comment."

Stevens confirmed that he has heard all of the rumors floating around regarding the 2014 Games and its organizing committee, but also had no comment.

Multiple sources have said that a major announcement is expected this week regarding the 2014 Cleveland organizing committee.

Axberg, founder of the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, issued a statement July 19.

"As the organization licensed to produce the 2014 Gay Games, the Cleveland Synergy Foundation remains committed to bringing this important, civic, cultural, and economic event to the Cleveland [ and ] Akron region," he wrote. "The Cleveland Synergy Foundation has met all of its commitments to the Federation of Gay Games. We look forward to quickly resolving any questions the Federation may have, and moving forward in the same spirit of teamwork and collaboration that won the Games for Cleveland [ and ] Akron.

"The licensing agreement between Synergy and the Federation of Gay Games clearly articulates a process to resolve any questions or conflicts. As outlined in the mutually endorsed agreement, this process should begin with a meeting of the two groups' steering committees. If that meeting leaves questions unanswered, the groups' boards of directors are then required to meet. Only if those first two meetings result in an impasse would mediation be an appropriate third step, according to the agreement. We have requested that the Federation join us in following this process of resolution in order to maintain the integrity of our organization, the FGG, and the future of the Gay Games movement.

"It is imperative that Gay Games remain an event created by the LGBT community, for the LGBT community, with the partnership and support of the host city. We are confident that once our steering committees and boards of directors meet, it will be clear to all involved that Synergy remains on schedule to deliver the world-class event the community envisioned and the Federation endorsed."

Anderson, Synergy's founder, was profiled in Windy City Times last December—about two months after Cleveland had been awarded the 2014 Games. Boston and Washington, D.C., also were bidding to host the 2014 Games.

Anderson, 54, had no comment about the recent developments. "When we have all the facts, we will make a statement," he said.

The Gay People's Chronicle of Ohio asked Anderson if Cleveland was in any danger of losing the Games, to which he replied, "No comment."

Earlier this month, Boston's Spirit magazine published an article alleging foul play with the selection of Cleveland and Akron last year.

"We tried our best to follow all of the rules and regulations, but there was some conflicting information from the Federation," Axberg told Spirit. "On a personal level, I would love for a city in North America like Boston to host the Gay Games in 2018."

Anderson and Axberg told Spirit they were confused about the rules for the proposal. The magazine reported that the rules limit the number of sports to 28. Cleveland proposed 40, including golf, which is to be held at Akron's Firestone Country Club, 45 miles south of Cleveland.


This article shared 4524 times since Wed Jul 21, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community
2024-03-26
LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama
2024-03-22
Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set
2024-03-20
The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19
2024-03-20
Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down
2024-03-20
In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
2024-03-11
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
2024-03-08
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

WORLD Israeli reservist, man detained, Ghana bill, medic denied honor
2024-03-08
Hanania Ben-Shimon—the gay Israel Defense Forces reservist who was wounded as he killed one of the terrorists in the attack at the A-Za'ayem checkpoint near Ma'ale Adumim recently—published a post in which he pleaded that his ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret
2024-03-05
Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

Illinois's first openly gay elected official voices support for Cunningham
2024-03-05
Judge Thomas Chiola, who served in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1994-2009, has officially endorsed Justice Joy Cunningham for reelection to the Illinois Supreme Court. Chiola is the first gay man to be ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Illinois' first openly gay congressman isn't done yet: A conversation with Eric Sorensen
2024-02-23
A Rockford-born meteorologist, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorenson didn't plan on being a politician. But after seeing how his work in broadcasting impacted his viewers in both the Rockford and the Quad Cities areas, he wanted to ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health Names Robin Gay, DMD as Interim President and CEO
2024-02-23
--From a press release - Howard Brown Health's Board of Directors announced today the appointment of Robin Gay, DMD as Interim President and CEO. Dr. Gay, who most recently served as Chief Dental Officer, assumes the role formerly held by outgoing ...


Gay News

WORLD Caribbean ruling, Pussy Riot, Russian raid, Canadian warning, anti-trans bar
2024-02-23
The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to colonial-era anti-gay laws, Reuters reported. Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish—two gay men who had pushed to decriminalize ...


Gay News

GLAAD releases report on LGBTQ+ inclusion in video games
2024-02-19
LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD has released a report on queer inclusion in the world of video games. Among the key findings in "Gaming: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games" is that 17%—nearly one in ...


Gay News

Human Rights Campaign report releases new data on experiences of Black queer youth
2024-02-14
--From a press release - WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.