World Outgames
Encyclopedia
The World Outgames are a sporting and cultural event hosted by the gay community
. With over 12,000 participants, the 1st World Outgames, held in 2006, was the largest international event to be held in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
since the 1976 Summer Olympiad
. These first Outgames were not as successful as the organizers had hoped and ended up with a deficit of $5.3 million. Many suppliers were left unpaid after the various governments refused to cover the debt.
The Outgames are open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation
. There are no qualifying standards, although competitions are arranged according to the skill levels of the competitors. The Outgames bring together athletes and artists from all over the world, many from countries where homosexuality
remains illegal and hidden.
The Outgames are not to be confused with the Gay Games
. The seventh edition of the Gay Games was supposed to take place in Montreal in 2006, but the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) removed their sanction after it and Montreal 2006 were unable to agree on the size of the games. The official Gay Games for 2006 were awarded to Chicago, with just over 12,000 participants. Montreal 2006 announced
its intentions to continue organizing the games without the sanction of the FGG; this plan developed into the first edition of the World Outgames, sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association
, the city of Montreal, the Province of Quebec, the Government of Canada, GlaxoSmithKline
, Air Canada
, Labatt Brewing Company
, Bell Canada
, as well as dozens of other national and international business and media organisations.
1st World Outgames 2006
For the first World Outgames
, the organization, as well as officials from the City of Montreal, the Province of Quebec and the Government of Canada welcomed 10,248 athletes to participate in games from 29 July to 5 August, alongside about 1500 participants for an international conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) human rights, including Workers Out. Workers Out is the third international gathering of LGBT trade unionists. Approximately 5,200 volunteers worked at the events.
2nd World Outgames 2009
The second World Outgames
started in Copenhagen
on 25 July and ended on 2 August 2009. The opening ceremony took place at City Hall Square.
3rd World Outgames 2013
The third World Outgames will be held in Antwerp in 2013.
Size of the event
Size of the budget — especially the planned break-even participation point
Financial transparency
In a weakening global economy following international terrorist attacks, including 9/11, the FGG wanted Montréal to be able to plan for a successful Gay Games even if participation did not meet Montréal's optimistic projection of 24,000 participants, twice the level of participation of the previous Gay Games in 2002. Due to financial problems in previous events, the FGG also asked for transparency into Montréal 2006's financial activities. After Montréal refused to continue talks, the FGG held a second round of bidding in which Chicago and Los Angeles bidders, who had put forth well-received bids to host the 2006 games in the first round along with Montréal and Atlanta, chose to bid. Ultimately, the FGG awarded Gay Games VII to Chicago Games, Inc.
The Montréal organizing committee nevertheless decided to proceed to hold an athletic and cultural event without the sanction of the FGG; this plan developed into the first edition of the World Outgames, and the creation of its sanctioning body, the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association.
Due to limited personal and organizational resources, many individual and team participants were forced to choose between Gay Games Chicago and World Outgames Montréal, a situation exacerbated by the two events being a week apart. The closing ceremony of Gay Games Chicago on 22 July 2006 was only 7 days before the opening ceremony of World Outgames Montréal on 29 July 2006. This meant that those who competed or performed in Chicago would have little recovery time before Montréal. The split resulted in a lower quality of athletic competition at both events because neither could claim the whole field of competitors. Team and individual sports were hurt alike. Few teams were able to field complete squads for both events; In wrestling, 100 wrestlers competed in Chicago (comparable to previous Gay Games), but only 22 competed in Montréal, by far the lowest number for any major international tournament. There was some advantages to the games being so close together time wise and location wise. For some overseas participants who had to travel far, the convenience of the two events being only a week apart and not far from each other enabled them to attend both. Many did not attend at all. After Chicago drew approximately 12,000 participants, Montréal drew an estimated 8,000 athletes—a third of the organization's original projections."
Since 2006, the need for a secondary global multisport event has been the subject of much debate, especially after the final financial figures for 2006 were released. The Chicago Gay Games VII ended with no debt and all bills paid. In contrast, the Montréal World Outgames ended with 5.3M Canadian dollars of debt."
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
. With over 12,000 participants, the 1st World Outgames, held in 2006, was the largest international event to be held in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
since the 1976 Summer Olympiad
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. These first Outgames were not as successful as the organizers had hoped and ended up with a deficit of $5.3 million. Many suppliers were left unpaid after the various governments refused to cover the debt.
The Outgames are open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. There are no qualifying standards, although competitions are arranged according to the skill levels of the competitors. The Outgames bring together athletes and artists from all over the world, many from countries where homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
remains illegal and hidden.
The Outgames are not to be confused with the Gay Games
Gay Games
The Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by and specifically for LGBT athletes, artists, musicians, and others. It welcomes participants of every sexual orientation and every skill level...
. The seventh edition of the Gay Games was supposed to take place in Montreal in 2006, but the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) removed their sanction after it and Montreal 2006 were unable to agree on the size of the games. The official Gay Games for 2006 were awarded to Chicago, with just over 12,000 participants. Montreal 2006 announced
2006 World Outgames
The 1st World Outgames took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006 to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.-History:...
its intentions to continue organizing the games without the sanction of the FGG; this plan developed into the first edition of the World Outgames, sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association
Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association
The Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association is an international gay and lesbian sport association. The focus of GLISA is developing gay and lesbian sport worldwide...
, the city of Montreal, the Province of Quebec, the Government of Canada, GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
, Labatt Brewing Company
Labatt Brewing Company
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. is a Canadian beer company founded by John Kinder Labatt in 1847 in London, Ontario. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew; it is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev...
, Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
, as well as dozens of other national and international business and media organisations.
World Outgames
| # | Year | City | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 2006 World Outgames The 1st World Outgames took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006 to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.-History:... |
2006 2006 in sports 2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia... |
Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... (Montréal) |
 Canada |
| II 2009 World Outgames The 2009 World Outgames, the 2nd World Outgames, was hosted by Copenhagen, Denmark from July 25 to August 2, 2009. It was one of the largest international sports and cultural event ever held on Danish soil, with 8,000 people from all corners of the world expected to participate. The World... |
2009 2009 in sports -Alpine skiing:* Alpine World Ski Championships 2009 held at Val d'Isère, Savoy, France-American football:* The Florida Gators defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 in front of a Dolphin Stadium record crowd of 78,468 to win the 2009 BCS National Championship Game... |
Copenhagen Copenhagen Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... (København) |
 Denmark |
| III | 2013 2013 in sports 2013 in sports will describe the year's events in world sport.-Alpine Skiing:*February 4 - February 17: FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2013 in Schladming, Austria-Aquatics:*July 19 - August 4: 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain... |
Antwerp (Antwerpen) |  Belgium |
1st World Outgames 2006
For the first World Outgames
2006 World Outgames
The 1st World Outgames took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006 to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.-History:...
, the organization, as well as officials from the City of Montreal, the Province of Quebec and the Government of Canada welcomed 10,248 athletes to participate in games from 29 July to 5 August, alongside about 1500 participants for an international conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) human rights, including Workers Out. Workers Out is the third international gathering of LGBT trade unionists. Approximately 5,200 volunteers worked at the events.
2nd World Outgames 2009
The second World Outgames
2009 World Outgames
The 2009 World Outgames, the 2nd World Outgames, was hosted by Copenhagen, Denmark from July 25 to August 2, 2009. It was one of the largest international sports and cultural event ever held on Danish soil, with 8,000 people from all corners of the world expected to participate. The World...
started in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
on 25 July and ended on 2 August 2009. The opening ceremony took place at City Hall Square.
3rd World Outgames 2013
The third World Outgames will be held in Antwerp in 2013.
Trivia
- Cities which hosted World Outgames and/or Gay Games have some Olympic tradition and the facilities have been used. The Games are not being held during an Olympic Year.
- Host cities intentionally switched between the North American and the European Continent.
- 2nd World Outgames were held in Copenhagen (Denmark) in 2009.
- The 3rd World Outgames will be held in Antwerp in 2013.
Schism in LGBT sports communities over Gay Games VII
In 2001, the bidding organization from Montréal, Canada won the right to negotiate with Federation of Gay Games (FGG) for a licensing agreement to host the 2006 Gay Games, but after two years of failed negotiations Montreal broke off talks at the 2003 FGG annual meeting in Chicago. There were three main points of contention, over which neither party could agree:Size of the event
Size of the budget — especially the planned break-even participation point
Financial transparency
In a weakening global economy following international terrorist attacks, including 9/11, the FGG wanted Montréal to be able to plan for a successful Gay Games even if participation did not meet Montréal's optimistic projection of 24,000 participants, twice the level of participation of the previous Gay Games in 2002. Due to financial problems in previous events, the FGG also asked for transparency into Montréal 2006's financial activities. After Montréal refused to continue talks, the FGG held a second round of bidding in which Chicago and Los Angeles bidders, who had put forth well-received bids to host the 2006 games in the first round along with Montréal and Atlanta, chose to bid. Ultimately, the FGG awarded Gay Games VII to Chicago Games, Inc.
The Montréal organizing committee nevertheless decided to proceed to hold an athletic and cultural event without the sanction of the FGG; this plan developed into the first edition of the World Outgames, and the creation of its sanctioning body, the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association.
Due to limited personal and organizational resources, many individual and team participants were forced to choose between Gay Games Chicago and World Outgames Montréal, a situation exacerbated by the two events being a week apart. The closing ceremony of Gay Games Chicago on 22 July 2006 was only 7 days before the opening ceremony of World Outgames Montréal on 29 July 2006. This meant that those who competed or performed in Chicago would have little recovery time before Montréal. The split resulted in a lower quality of athletic competition at both events because neither could claim the whole field of competitors. Team and individual sports were hurt alike. Few teams were able to field complete squads for both events; In wrestling, 100 wrestlers competed in Chicago (comparable to previous Gay Games), but only 22 competed in Montréal, by far the lowest number for any major international tournament. There was some advantages to the games being so close together time wise and location wise. For some overseas participants who had to travel far, the convenience of the two events being only a week apart and not far from each other enabled them to attend both. Many did not attend at all. After Chicago drew approximately 12,000 participants, Montréal drew an estimated 8,000 athletes—a third of the organization's original projections."
Since 2006, the need for a secondary global multisport event has been the subject of much debate, especially after the final financial figures for 2006 were released. The Chicago Gay Games VII ended with no debt and all bills paid. In contrast, the Montréal World Outgames ended with 5.3M Canadian dollars of debt."
See also
- Gay GamesGay GamesThe Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by and specifically for LGBT athletes, artists, musicians, and others. It welcomes participants of every sexual orientation and every skill level...
/ Federation of Gay GamesFederation of Gay Games-Concept and official purpose:According to the Federation of Gay Games :-Schism in LGBT sports communities over Gay Games VII:In 2001, the Federation of Gay Games awarded the seventh edition of the Gay Games to Montréal, Quebec, Canada for 2006, but the FGG removed its sanction in late 2003 after... - EuroGamesEurogamesEurogames may refer to:* EuroGames * Eurogames , a French board game publisher operated by Descartes Editeur* German-style board games or Eurogames...
( European Gay and Lesbian Multi-Sports Championships ) / European Gay and Lesbian Sport FederationEuropean Gay and Lesbian Sport FederationThe European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation is a sporting body for homosexuals in Europe. It was founded by German and Dutch LGBT sport clubs in 1989 after being inspirated by the first Gay Games in San Francisco, United States. Its headquarters are in Amsterdam, The Netherlands... - EuroPrideEuroprideEuropride is a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, hosted by a different European city each year. The host city is usually one with an established gay pride event or a significant LGBT community....