The Federation of Gay Games intends to organise an open-invitation conference discussing ways to unify the gay and lesbian sports movement. It is scheduled for the first half of 2005.
More in Mantaci: 'It won't be an FGG conference'
Nov 20, 2004 qs/gww
This follows the withdrawal of Berlin's bid to host the Outgames (see Games Berlin bids suspended). The organisation, that stood behind that bid, Games Berlin eV has called upon the GLISA (the association that awards the Outgames) and the Federation of Gay Games to unify their efforts to organise one single major sporting event every four years.
The FGG has announced a conference open to everybody to discuss ways to unify GLISA and FGG. The members of the federation's assembly, held last week in Cologne (Germany), voted 30:1 for such an event.
"We are saddened that the FGG rejected the reconciliation efforts of neutral parties [like Berlin] in favour of holding its own meeting on the current situation of the LGBT sporting world", laments Mark Tewksbury, GLISA Board Member. He adds, "We are fully prepared to sit at the table with the FGG to map out a plan for our peaceful co-existence. However, it's hard to remain optimistic in the face of such short-sightedness."
Other developments at the annual assembly of the FGG included an 'orientation meeting' for towns interested in hosting the Gay Games 2010. Johannesburg, Paris and Cologne took part. Neither South Africa, nor France or Germany have ever organised Gay Games before. They have been in Europe once, but never in Africa (as the Olympics, by the way).
The new board of the FGG comprises six members from the United States, three from France, one from Australia and one from Germany:
Kathleen Webster, Philadelphia (U.S.) co-president
Roberto Mantaci, Paris (France), co-president
Emy Ritt, Paris (France), vice president
Richard Hogan, Sydney (Australia), vice president
Eurika Otto, San Diego (U.S.), recorder
Charles King, San Francisco (U.S.), secretary
Manuel Picaud, Paris (France), treasurer
Martyn Pickup, Berlin (Germany)
Brent Minor, Washington (U.S.)
Doug Litwin, San Francisco (U.S.)
Roger Brigham, Oakland (U.S.)
FGG and GLISA press releases contributed to this article.