FGG vs GLISA

No Bridge Is Built, But Foundation Is Laid

LONDON,  February 20:  –  No major bridge was “built” at last weekend’s summit that arranged to try and reach some sort of agreement between the two competing international gay games, both being staged in North America next year.

The summit, held in London, did, however, lay foundations of possible “bridge” as those attending, including organisers of the Gay Games VII in Chicago and 1st World Outgames in Montréal – together with their “umberalla” organisations Federation of Gay Games (FGG) and Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA), agreed that all participating organisations had the goal of advancing LGBT sports.

Perhaps, more importantly, the FGG and GLISA committed themselves to ongoing communication starting with a further discussion within 60 days.

The events next year in Chicago and Montréal are being staged within a month of each other and there is fierce competition between the two organising bodies.

Currently, Montréal appears to be ahead in the number of entries.  World Outgames claimed 3,700 entrants in a February 11 press release, while Chicago Gay Games VII claim their 2,000th registrant was reached on February 1.

Organisations attending the London summit have been tight-lipped all week, saying only that London-based Out For Sport, which organised the meeting, would be issuing a statement.  This has now appeared on their website.

But one participant, who would only talk on the record under conditions of anonymity, said that he was still suspicious of why the Gay Games was pulled from Montréal and then awarded to Chicago.

“I am not convinced by the reasons the FGG gave for the switch when Montréal was at a relatively advanced stage and they had sponsors on board,” he said.

“Having said that, the Gay Games are the traditional world event, yet Montréal’s plan seems to fit in much better with the ethos of international amateur sport,” he added.

Europe could well hold the key to the current impasse.  At its annual assembly in Amsterdam last March, the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) voted 47 to 13 (with seven abstension) to quit the FGG.  However, EGLSF made it clear that individual members were free to join or continue membership of FGG.

It was explained to the Assembly the the FGG’s values were compatible with those of EGLSF, but there were great problems in what were described as “procedures”, especially over the negotiations between the FGG and Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006 and the subsequent “pulling” of Gay Games VII from the Canadian city and reallocated to Chicago (the announcement that the new venue for Gay Games VII would be Chicago came days before the Assembly).

As yet, EGLSF has not decided whether or not it will join GLISA.  The matter is being discussed at this year’s Assembly in Barcelona on March 5 under the agenda item “Workshop: International LGBT sport movement”.  A vote will be taken on the workshop’s recommendations at a plenary session the following day.

It is expected that at minimum EGLSF will ally itself with GLISA.  The EGSL is itself an “umberalla” body which oversees an international event – the EuroGames, being held in Utrect, the Netherlands, between June 16 and 19.  It will be the the tenth staging of the EuroGames which started in 1992. 

Desite the action taken by the FGG against Montréal, organisers pledged to go ahead with Rendez-Vous 2006 on their own.  When GLISA formed last year, there was initial fears of being three international gay events.  But GLISA and Montréal reached a quick understanding and World Outgames Montréal is now under the GLISA banner.

It appears the 2006 will be the only time that there will be a clash of “gay games”.  The second World Outgames is scheduled for 2009, and Gay Games VIII for 2010.

The world of gay and lesbian sports is resigned to there being two major competitions next year.

It could well be that potential entrants who have neither the time or the resources to compete in both will decide on such matters as ease of each country’s passport and visa requirements.  This aspect has been brought up time and time again by European athletes.

LINKS

Chicago 2006 website
Rendez-Vous Montréal website
EuroGames 2005 website
FGG website
GLISA website
EGLSF website

20  February  2005