EuroGames
The EuroGames are an annual gay and lesbian sporting event that originated in the early 1990s based on the Gay Games . Participants are gay, lesbian and straight athletes from all over Europe .
description
The EuroGames have been held every year since 1992, with the exception of the years when gay games or outgames take place. The license for the three- to four-day event is issued by the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation ( EGLSF ) to one or more of its member organizations with a lead time of three years . A distinction is made between large EuroGames, which usually take place every four years, and the smaller EuroGames in between, which are intended for a maximum of 3000 athletes. This should also take into account the different capabilities of the organizations willing to host.
Among the sports that are in those held at the Euro Games competitions, including football , volleyball , basketball , tennis , swimming , dancing and some more, but also more exotic sports such as line dancing , cheerleading , aerobics or synchronized swimming with men and women. The games are open to everyone and the principle applies: Participate and achieve your personal best. In addition to the applications, there is usually a well-organized contact program (“outreach program”).
In addition to top sporting performances by the gay and lesbian community, further goals are to be achieved:
- Combating discrimination in sport based on sexual orientation
- Promotion of the integration and emancipation of gays and lesbians in sport
- Enabling and supporting the open appearance of gay athletes
- Support in founding new gay, lesbian, heterosexual or mixed sports groups
"EuroGames" is a registered European word and image trademark. The logo is a five-point star standing on two points, the top point of which has been replaced by a flame. The hymn is "We are leaving (Oveture)" by the Swedish group Polaris.
history
In 1989 the EGLSF was founded to network the European clubs. Participants in the third Gay Games in Vancouver in 1990 were so enthusiastic that they wanted to organize something similar in Europe.
In 1992 the first EuroGames took place in The Hague . The approximately three hundred participants from five countries competed in the disciplines of badminton , soccer , volleyball and basketball . The second games also took place in The Hague, this time with over 540 women and men from eight countries. The disciplines were expanded to include swimming and athletics . They were officially opened by Hedy d'Ancona , the then Dutch Minister of Sports. The 1994 Gay Games in New York with 11,000 athletes were a great success and influenced many European participants to take part in the next EuroGames in 1995. The Frankfurter Volleyball Verein and Artemis Sport Frankfurt joined forces for this. As the registration began, they were overwhelmed by an unexpected flood of registrations. Within a few weeks, additional arenas and accommodation could be organized and many other logistical problems dealt with. Ultimately, over 2000 athletes took part. This year the “Star and Flame” logo was also introduced.
At the 1996 games in Berlin, the organization reached a semi-professional level, although it was done entirely by volunteers. Among the 3400 athletes who competed in 17 sports, there were also for the first time 50 participants from Eastern European countries Lithuania , Poland , the Czech Republic , Hungary , Russia and Romania . For these games, the hymn “We Are Leaving…” by the Eurodance group Polaris was introduced. Polaris comes from Sweden and consisted of Giovanna Bragazzi, Leif Jacobsson and Peter Roth, with Jacobsson providing the music and Roth providing the lyrics. The festive instrumental version "We Are Leaving ... (Overture)" is used for the festive setting. In addition to a maxi CD released in 1995, the group also released an entire CD entitled “Euro Games IV” in the year of the games.
For 1997, Brussels, Paris and Zurich had applied. Almost 2,000 participants attended the games, with the majority coming from France, Italy and Spain. After months of serious discussions, the organizers of the 1999 Manchester Games had to be revoked in July 1998. More than 4300 athletes came to the EuroGames 2000 in Zurich, 150 of them from Southern and Eastern Europe. For the first time, " disabled " tournaments were held in some sports . This year it was decided to divide the games into large and small. The seventh EuroGames in Hanover in August 2001 were the first “small” games. The cooperation with the city administration under Mayor Herbert Schmalstieg worked well. Among the seven sports, the dance competition was a great success. In addition to the socio-political statement by the same-sex couples, the performances were professional. The organizers registered the domain www.eurogames.info, which will also be used for information and registration at all future EuroGames.
The 2004 Eurogames took place in Munich under the motto "Munich s'ports the Rainbow". They were the first to be explicitly declared as “large”. The competitions of 5500 athletes - the highest number of participants so far - in 27 sports were held in the Olympic Park . "Disabled" tournaments were held again. At the “small EuroGames” in Utrecht in 2005 , hockey competitions were held for the first time , in which a team from Australia also took part. If places are free, non-European athletes can also participate. At the 2007 Games in Antwerp, the women's quota was over 40% for the first time, and they even made up the majority in the German team. 600 volunteers helped to make the event with over 2800 athletes from 40 countries in 12 sports run smoothly. The big games in Barcelona in 2008 took place under the motto “Come South, Play with us!”. 5,300 participants in 25 sports, again more than 40% women, were looked after by 1,000 volunteers.
Event overview
| No. | year | From | To | place | country | Attendees | countries | sports | big / small |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | 1992 | The hague | Netherlands | 300 | 5 | 4th | - | ||
| II | 1993 | The hague | Netherlands | 540 | 8th | 6th | - | ||
| - | 1994 | Gay Games in New York | |||||||
| III | 1995 | Frankfurt am Main | Germany | 2000 | 13 | 10 | - | ||
| IV | 1996 | 16.5. | 19.5. | Berlin | Germany | 3400 | 18th | 17th | - |
| V | 1997 | 20.6. | 23.6. | Paris | France | 2000 | 18th | 17th | - |
| - | 1998 | Gay Games in Amsterdam | |||||||
| - | 1999 | - | - | Manchester | Great Britain | canceled in July 1998 | |||
| VI | 2000 | 1.6. | 3.6. | Zurich | Switzerland | 4500 | 19th | - | |
| VII | 2001 | 2.8. | 5.8. | Hanover | Germany | 1500 | 7th | k | |
| - | 2002 | Gay Games in Sydney | |||||||
| VIII | 2003 | 29.5. | 1.6. | Copenhagen | Denmark | 2200 | 7th | k | |
| IX | 2004 | 29.7. | 1.8. | Munich | Germany | 5533 | 38 | 26th | G |
| X | 2005 | 16.6. | 19.6. | Utrecht | Netherlands | 2855 | 44 | 9 | k |
| - | 2006 | Gay Games in Chicago and Outgames in Montreal | |||||||
| XI | 2007 | 12.7. | 15.7. | Antwerp | Belgium | 3650 | 38 | 12 | k |
| XII | 2008 | 24.7. | 27.7. | Barcelona | Spain | 5300 | 40 | 25th | G |
| - | 2009 | Outgames in Copenhagen | |||||||
| - | 2010 | Gay Games in Cologne | |||||||
| XIII | 2011 | 20.7. | 24.7. | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 26th | k | ||
| XIV | 2012 | 27.6. | 1.7. | Budapest | Hungary | ||||
| - | 2013 | Outgames in Antwerp | |||||||
| - | 2014 | Gay Games in Cleveland & Akron | |||||||
| XV | 2015 | Stockholm | Sweden | 4465 | 71 | 28 | - | ||
| XVI | 2016 | Helsinki | Finland | ||||||
| - | 2017 | Outgames in Miami Beach (canceled) | |||||||
| - | 2018 | Gay Games in Paris | |||||||
| XVII | 2019 | 11.7 | 13.7 | Rome | Italy | ||||
| XVIII | 2020 | Dusseldorf | Germany | canceled in May 2020 | |||||
| XIX | 2021 | 18.8 | 20.8 | Copenhagen | Denmark | ||||
| XX | 2022 | 28.7 | 30.7 | Nijmegen | Netherlands | ||||
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Polaris at Discogs (English)
- ↑ CANCELED: EuroGames 2020. Accessed June 15, 2020 .
- ↑ EuroGames - Copenhagen 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ Eurogames 2022 - Nijmegen. Retrieved June 15, 2020 .