Gay Games Are Coming to Chicago

The Gay Games are coming to Chicago this summer. From July 15 to July 22, 2006, the Gay Games will feature competition in a variety of sports all over the city. The event will bring 12,000 people to compete in Chicago from 70 nations. This will be the Seventh Games. The Games are held every four years. This is the first time the Games will be held in Chicago.

The Gay Games are open to anyone. The idea of the Games is to be completely a merit based competition free of any type of bigotry. Men, women, straights, gays all compete.

The Games started in 1982.

The Games will open at Soldier Field - that's where the Chicago White Sox play - with a choreographed opening ceremony. Closing ceremonies will take place eight days later at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. In between, the city will play host to sports competitions in 30 different sports including badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cycling, dance sport, darts, diving, figure skating, flag football, golf, ice hockey, marathon, martial arts, physique (bodybuilding), pool billiards, powerlifting, racquetball, road races, rowing, rugby, sailing, soccer/football, softball, squash, swimming, tennis, track and field, triathalon, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.

The Gay Games mean it when they say they are all-inclusive - everyone gets an award. There's Gold, Silver, and Bronze, and then there's also a Participation Medal. Medals will be awarded in Millennium Park.

There will be a variety of cultural events taking place during the week of the Games. Fun runs, cheering team demonstrations, and color guard presentations, concerts, and parties, among other things.

Celebrity supporters of the Games are known as Ambassadors and include prominent straight and gay celebs like Sir Elton John, Greg Louganis, Melissa Etheridge, baseball great Billy Bean, tennis legend Billie Jean King, and more. Corporate sponsorship is a who's who of Wall Street. Even the Federal Government has gotten into the act - by allowing HIV Positive competitiors from other countries to visit Chicago and compete in the Games.

This will truly be the sporting event - and the gay event - of the year.