At its July executive committee meeting, the Fédération Sportive Gaie et Lesbienne voted to give support to the upcoming Gay Games, taking place in Chicago in 2006. The meeting was also attended by a representative of the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) and two representatives from the Federation of Gay Games. The discussions at the meeting focused on the division in the sports community. The announcement from the French sports organization comes as both the Gay Games and the Outgames in Montreal are battling for support from the international sports community for their respective events in 2006.

Under these circumstances, the president of the French Federation, Bruno Ferré, put the priority on preparing and organizing the French presence at the Chicago Gay Games, using the federation’s action for the November 2002 Sydney Gay Games as a model.

Gay Games registration started in June; the games will be held July 15-22, 2006, featuring 30 different sporting events, including; martial arts, track and field, rowing, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, billiards, bowling, body building, cycling, dancing, soccer, golf, weightlifting, ice hockey, marathon, swimming, synchronized swimming, figure skating, diving, rugby, softball, triathlon, sailing and volleyball. There will also be a cultural program. The worldwide sports event is open to all. The founding principles of the event are to encourage participation by all, with no discrimination based on age, physical fitness, health, sexual orientation or gender and to promote achieving one’s personal best.

The registration fee for the Gay Games includes a charge of $175 for general organizational expenses, plus further fees depending on the cultural and sports events selected. For most events, the total cost is $210, but it can be as high as $249 for figure skating, cycling, the marathon or half-marathon, rowing and bodybuilding, or $299 for sailing and golf.

Emy Ritt, who is the French Federation’s delegate to the FGG and a member of the sailing club Voile et Croisière en Liberté, mentioned that the Gay Games sailing event is already fully booked. Fortunately, 28 members of her club were able to register, but one crew is already on the waiting list. “Don’t wait to register if you want to get a place in your sport,” she said.