The 'Gay Games' are underway in Paris
The 10th Gay Games, an international sports event that bills itself as the world’s largest and “most inclusive” — anyone can participate, even straight people — will come to a close on Sunday in Paris.
The event has grown tremendously since its kickoff in 1982 in San Francisco, where it was originally advertised as the “Gay Olympics” by its founder, Dr. Thomas F. Waddell, an Olympic decathlete. (The name was changed after the United States Olympic Committee sued, and a Supreme Court decision upheld a ban on its use.) The first tournament included 1,350 athletes in 17 sports.
This year’s Games, which began Aug. 4, had more than 10,000 participants from around the world. They ranged in ability from beginners to professionals and competed in 36 sports and events, which included traditional ones, like basketball and rowing, as well as less common competitions, such as pétanque, same-sex dancesport and queer urban dance.
“The atmosphere is really electric,” said Joanie Evans, a British nonprofit worker and a co-president of the Federation of Gay Games, which organizes the tournament.
The Games are intended to promote freedom and rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Organizers say the Games are crucial because of the discrimination gay athletes face in sports, on both the amateur and professional levels. And some of the participants hail from countries with strict anti-gay laws, like Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Kevin Mwachiro and Kelvin Washiko, gay activists from Kenya, received scholarships to attend the event from the Federation of Gay Games and the International Front Runners, an L.G.B.T. running club.
Mwachiro, 45, competed in the 200-meter run, placing fifth. He said the number of older participants had inspired him to keep training and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
“People are able to do it at any age, regardless about the type of body shape. People are just passionate about sport,” he said. “I was in my element.”
The competitions have taken place in stadiums and facilities around Paris and Île-de-France, the broader Parisian region, with support from the government and major corporations like Renault and General Electric.
The 2022 Gay Games will be held in Hong Kong. The Federation of Gay Games chose the location over 16 others, including Washington and Guadalajara, Mexico.
Previous tournaments have been held in New York, Chicago and Cleveland; Vancouver, Canada; Sydney, Australia; Amsterdam; and Cologne, Germany.