Single LGBT world sports event

CAMPAIGN FOR SINGLE LGBT WORLD SPORTS EVENT LAUNCHES

This week sees the launch of a campaign to support negotiations for One Quadrennial Global LGBT sports event. 1QE4ME is an independent campaign instigated by LGBT sports groups Active Company (Antwerp), BGS (Brussels), Panteres Grogues (Barcelona), Pride Sports (Manchester), Team München (Munich), which is seeking sign-up from other LGBT sports clubs.

The campaign comes at a time when the two global LGBT sports organisations, Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA) and Federation of Gay Games (FGG) are reopening negotiations on a single event. Two events have been in existence since 2006; Gay Games and Word Outgames.

Bettina Dietmann-Winter, President of Team München e.V., Munich’s LGBT multisport club of more than 500 active members, comments:

“Members of the 1QE4ME group have participated in and enjoyed both Gay Games and Outgames. However, we feel that two global sports events does not present a sustainable future for LGBT sports competition on a worldwide level”

The 1QE4ME group is hoping to raise awareness of the negotiations for a single quadrennial event amongst LGBT sports clubs and athletes around the world, whilst providing encouragement to both global organisations in their negotiation process. Using social media as a platform, the group also intends to provide a voice for LGBT sports groups and athletes to express their support for a single quadrennial event.

Jacques Schoofs, President of Panteres Grogues, Barcelona’s LGBT sports club elaborates:

“There has been a lot of frustration amongst the LGBT sports community about the lack of progress in negotiations for 1QE. We share some of those frustrations, but 1QE4ME is a positive campaign aiming to encourage FGG and GLISA in their negotiations and to show them that LGBT sports people and their clubs do care about the future of global competition”

1QE4ME has launched a facebook page http://bit.ly/1QE4ME and a twitter page http://twitter.com/1qe4me and is intending to promote their message through a range of media as the campaign develops, including a presence at the many local LGBT sports tournaments taking place throughout the year.

Published: 10-Apr-2014: (2360)