Chicago is among five North American cities, one from Canada and four from the U.S., who will vie for the opportunity to host Gay Games VII in 2006. Bidding groups from Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal and San Diego have met the 1 June qualification deadline by submitting letters of intent to the Federation of Gay Games, the governing body for the event.
The 2002 Gay Games are in Sydney, and representatives from Sydney are in town this week to meet with Team Chicago, an organization which assists athletes who want to participate in the Gay Games, which are held every four years.
The 1998 Games were in Amsterdam, the 1994 Games in New York, and the 1990 Games were in Vancouver. The Games have never been to the middle part of the U.S.
"The cities that are now candidates are all excellent choices to hold the Gay Games," said Susan Kennedy, co-chair of the Federation's Site Selection Committee. "The athletic and cultural facilities in each are fairly well known, so the organizational skills and personalities of the various bidding committees will likely play key roles in the choice of the 2006 host."
In an unprecedented situation, two groups representing the Los Angeles metropolitan area submitted separate letters of intent.
Richard Hogan, Site Selection co-chair along with Kennedy, said, "It's unexpected but permissible under our current guidelines to have more than one bid from a city. Certainly every bidding committee that has met the qualification deadline will be treated fairly and equitably. Whether the Los Angeles groups will join forces and present one bid—well, it's too early to speculate."
Full bid documents are due to the Federation of Gay Games in January 2001. Five months later the Site Selection Committee will select four finalists from among all candidates. The Gay Games VII host will be chosen at the Federation's annual meeting in November 2001.
See www.gaygames.org or www.gaygamesvi.org .au.
Chicago 2006
The Nominating Committee of Chicago 2006, organized to bring Gay Games VII to America's Heartland in Chicago 2006, announces 4 openings on its 19-member Board of Directors: Director and Co-Chair, Corporate Fundraising Committee; Director and Co-Chair, Volunteer Committee; Director and Co-Chair, Outreach Team; Director and Co-Chair, Community Fundraising Committee.
In each case, the plans being developed by these committees are part of the formal bid for Gay Games VII to be submitted by Jan. 31, 2001. Each Director is expected to attend monthly Board Meetings, work with co-chairs to recruit and retain committee members with strong efforts to recruit a diverse committee that is representative of the many GLBT communities in the Chicago area, and hold meetings as necessary. Terms expire December 31, 2001.
If you'd like to be considered for the Board of Chicago 2006, email your resume via to tracy@thirdcoastmarketing.com and msyrjanen@aol.com>msyrjanen@aol.com; or fax ( 773 ) 871-7609. To learn more about the requirements, email as above or call Tracy Baim at ( 773 ) 871-7610. There is a quick deadline for applications, and persons of color, women, bi, trans and straight individuals and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to respond. General committee members are also needed.
See www.chicago2006.org
