The Outgames continue to sign on major sponsors with the addition of Air Canada to the list of businesses sponsoring the international sports competition.

“A tripartite agreement has been reached between Tourisme Montréal, Air Canada and Montréal 2006,” Louise Roy, chief executive officer for Montréal 2006, announced on Aug. 27.

“For Air Canada and its partners,” said Roy, “this represents an overall contribution of nearly $500,000.”

Following the announcement of Labatt Breweries as a sponsor earlier this spring, Air Canada became the second major sponsor to join the ranks of private support for the first World Outgames, scheduled to take place July 29-Aug. 5, 2006, in Montréal.

“Air Canada is pleased to sponsor the largest sport and cultural event to be held in Canada in the next two years.” said Guylaine Lavoie, Air Canada’s director of sales for Eastern Canada. “Our involvement in this event also demonstrates, beyond the economic spin-offs the Outgames are certain to generate, Air Canada’s desire to participate in the overall social evolution of Canadian society.”

“Our partnership with Air Canada,” said Mark Tewksbury, co-president of Montréal 2006, “reaffirms our vision of the Outgames as an event that will show how the gay community is actively participating in and contributing to sport and cultural life in Québec and in Canada.”

“As far as we are concerned, the importance of the first World Outgames is clear,” said Charles Lapointe, president and chief executive officer of Tourisme Montréal. “From the beginning of this incredible adventure, Tourisme Montréal has been behind this project, as we will be right up to 2006. We already know that Montréal is one of the most popular destinations for gay and lesbian travelers from around the world — in fact, Gay.com recently ranked us the eighth most popular destination in the world for gay and lesbian travelers,” Lapointe continued. “Add to that the fact that the Outgames is open to the society at large, gay or non-gay, and the event has an even wider appeal. Tourisme Montréal and its partners have committed almost 2 million dollars over three years to the Montréal 2006 project.”

Currently, online registrations for the Outgames and for the International Conference on Rights continue to roll in. Almost 500 people have already registered for the event, a number that corresponds to the organizers’ original forecasts.

“The addition of Air Canada and the unwavering support of Tourisme Montréal,” said Roy, “allows us to tackle the work ahead of us over the next two years with a great deal of confidence. Registrations and ticket sales will finance up to 51 percent of our budget of 16 million dollars. The involvement we now have from our sponsors and partners already represents another 46 percent of our total budget. Financially speaking, Montréal 2006 will be able to honor all of its commitments, and preparations for the sport and cultural programs are all on target according to our original plans.”

-Press Release