Montreal 2006 co-president and Olympic gold medallist Mark Tewksbury will be taking part in this year’s world famous Sydney New Mardi Gras festival. At the invitation of Team Sydney and Geoffrey Lyne, member of the board of directors of Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA), Tewksbury will be in Australia Feb. 16-24 to promote the first World Outgames, taking place in Montréal, Canada, July 29-Aug. 5, 2006. Registrations for the 2006 Outgames have already reached the 3,700 mark.

While in Sydney, Tewksbury will host a public information meeting that will feature the Outgames and profile the host city of Montréal. He will also meet with several Sydney-based GLBT sports teams, community organizations and media representatives. He will also be accepting registrations for the Outgames at a booth held jointly with Oz Rainbow, Montréal 2006’s official travel partner for Australia and New Zealand at the festival’s Fair Day.

The first World Outgames Montreal 2006 will also be participating in the New Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, March 5, teaming up with Tourisme Montréal and Oz Rainbow to present a float showcasing the city’s renowned Joie de Vivre, the Outgames event and its celebration of diversity, camaraderie, achievement and acceptance. This visit to Australia is part of a far-reaching international promotional campaign by Outgames organizers that will bring them to over 200 cities worldwide in 2005. Already almost 450 participants have registered for Mardi Gras celebration.

Participants will compete in 33 disciplines. Opening and closing ceremonies will be held in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium 30 years after the city hosted the 1976 Olympic games. The ceremonies will broadcast live on Radio-Canada, Canada’s national television network. Throughout the week, numerous cultural activities will also take place as part of the program.

With 17 months to go, registration is well underway and already hundreds of athletes from Australia have registered and made their Montréal reservations for Outgames. Australian participation is shaping into one of the countries’ largest contingents ever to attend an international GLBT sports event held overseas.