More than 50 Philadelphia area athletes are gearing up to compete on behalf of the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection at the ninth Gay Games.
The Gay Games, which are being held Aug. 9-16 in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, is the world’s largest cultural and sporting event for the LGBT community. Athletes can compete in 36 sports, such as soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, volleyball and basketball.
The Gay Games was founded in 1982 and first held in San Francisco.
Team Philadelphia, which helped organize local participation in the Games, is an official delegate to the Federation of the Gay Games, which also includes cities like New York City, San Francisco and London.
Team Philadelphia members will sport a new logo, designed by members of The Attic Youth Center’s Attic Graffix club. Shirts with the new logo were distributed to players at William Way LGBT Community Center Aug. 6.
Local participants range from their early 20s to the late 70s and represent an array of identities and sporting abilities.
Team Philadelphia marketing director Bob Szwajkos said the contingent is bringing a full team for softball, soccer and track and field, and athletes will also be competing in tennis, rodeo, swimming, golf, table tennis, ice skating and flag football.
While competing in different sports throughout the Gay Games, the local athletes will present a united front during the Aug. 9 opening ceremonies.
“The teams or individuals who have determined that they want to attend the Gay Games will march into the arena under Team Philadelphia and all of those athletes will have come from our city or the region,” he said. “You walk into the stadium in the opening ceremony under your banner and you have teams from all around the world surrounding you. They are playing music and everyone is singing songs. What an absolutely amazing experience; it is indescribable. And at the end of the week, the teams don’t march together, everyone is mixed together.”
GO!Athletes executive director Anna Aagenes said the advocacy organization for LGBT athletes will have members competing in the games but said the organization will not host any formal events at Gay Games.
“We have folks coming from all over this year,” she said. “We will mostly be there to compete or show support.”
Aagenes, who will compete in track and field, said this will be her first Gay Games.
Szwajkos, who won a silver medal in 2010 in track and field, said that, regardless of the medals the locals bring home, the Gay Games are a place for LGBT athletes and supporters to socialize and come together.
“The Gay Games brings people from all around the world together to participate in sports and demonstrate unity,” he said. “Winning is being there.”
This year’s Gay Games are reported to be the biggest one the federation has staged yet. Szwajkos said the Games, held every four years, have helped fuel interest in LGBT sports in the local community.
“The Gay Games are older than any league in our city and they have brought sports to our community,” he said. “We have seen an explosion in our own sports, with over 1,200 people participating in our programs. Our groups collectively are the largest adult athletic recreation programs in the region. Our leagues have made sports the backbone of our community.”
Aagenes added that the Gay Games are a great way to provide visibility for athletes who may not have a community to come home to.
“It is so rare that you have people who identify as competitive athletes and LGBT all in one place,” she said. “Just in my experience, young people sometimes don’t have a network of people who are like them. It is an amazing opportunity because we are so spread out most of the time. Events like these are important for visibility and giving a sense of community.”
For more information on the Gay Games, visit http://www.gg9cle.com.