Out For Sport Lesbian and Gay

Note: the information given below was correct at the time of writing but it is always a good idea to check with the organisers - visit their website or phone or email them to make sure that details are still up to date.

Thousands of participants from around the world will meet in Cologne, Germany, from July 31 to August 7, 2010, to compete and perform while seeking more tolerance towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals. The program offers an inspiring Opening and Closing Ceremony, 34 different sports, four cultural events and an associated arts festival.

Pre-registration is now open. Participants are able to reserve their place via our pre-registration system at www.games-cologne.com. Full registration will open in the summer of 2008.

As many as 12,000 participants from more than 70 countries will take place in the 2010 Gay Games VIII Sports & Cultural Festival. More than 46,000 guests are expected for the Opening Ceremony at the RheinEnergie Stadium in Cologne, home of the famous Cologne Soccer Club.

"Be part of it!" is the slogan of edition VIII of the Gay Games. This event brings everyone together and all are encouraged to "Be part of it!" to show tolerance. All can take part, regardless of sexual orientation whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, or transgender.

More than 40% of the 34 sports disciplines will take place at Cologne's famous 135-acre Mungersdorfer Sportpark, the site of the German Sports University, with all other sports (except sailing) occurring within 20 minutes of the center of Cologne.

Culture: Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 will also present a culture program with an "International Rainbow Memorial Run," a "Visual Arts Event" and Choral and Band Festivals.

Registration: The "official" registration system will open in the summer of 2008. Until then, participants can reserve a place for the sport or cultural event of their choice. A reservation fee of ? 100 (euros) is required as part of this process. Once the official registration system is open, 2008 participants will be able to finish the registration process. At that time, an additional fee will be due; depending on the sport / cultural event. This will be an additional ? 40 to ? 100. The pre-registratiation fee covers the confirmation of the participation as well as a ticket to the opening and the closing ceremonies, a public transit pass, a participation medal, and a welcome package. Only sports and cultural participants may reserve space by pre-registering. All pre-registrants will be required to select a sport or cultural event and pay the additional fee for their registration to be complete.

Updates: To receive Gay Games VIII e-newsletters on a regular basis, visit www.games-cologne.com.
Contact: Games Cologne gGmbH / Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010, Mittelstrasse 52-54, D-50672 Cologne/Koln.
Head of Media Relations: Ingo Schneider, i.schneider@games-cologne.de, +49 ? 177 ? 7 62 60 68.
North American Media Contact: Kevin Boyer, All Terrain PR, (312) 588-3713, Kevin.Boyer@games-cologne.com.

About Cologne

A picturesque city located on the Rhine River, Cologne (Koln) is Germany's 4^th largest city with more than one million inhabitants in a ten million person metropolitan area. Cologne has a vibrant history dating back more than 2,000 years, settled by Germanic tribes and acknowledged as the city of “Colonia” by the Romans in 50 AD. Despite widespread bombing damage during World War II, Cologne's most recognizable landmark, the Cologne Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), survived. Cologne was rebuilt and now serves as a key European commercial, sports, culture and media center. Known to many as the LGBT capital of Germany, Cologne hosts one of the largest European pride festivals (Christopher Street Days) and has the continent's oldest city-wide LGBT sports club (s.c. Janus). Easily accessible via Cologne, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf airports, and via high-speed European trains, Cologne has an extensive and inexpensive public transit system. With the full support of their local government and business community, Gay Games VIII will give attendees a chance to affordably experience one of Europe's oldest LGBT-friendly cities.

About The Gay Games

The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982 with 1,350 participants. Subsequent Gay Games have been held in San Francisco (1986; 3,500 participants), Vancouver (1990; 7,300 participants), New York (1994; 12,500 participants), Amsterdam (1998; 13,000 participants), Sydney (2002; 11,000 participants) and Chicago (2006, 11,500 participants). The Federation of Gay Games is the international governing body that perpetuates the quadrennial Gay Games and promotes the event's founding principles of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best?. For more information, visit www.GayGames.org.