Hong Kong, LA, SF and Tel Aviv Among 17 Cities Bidding for 2022 Gay Games

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, USA The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) announced the results of the first phase of bidding for Gay Games XI. Seventeen cities on three continents expressed an interest in bidding by submitting an official response to the FGG's "Request for Information" (RFI). Among those responding were the first potential bids from the Middle East and Asia.

The 17 cities are: Anaheim, CA, Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX, Cape Town, ZA, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Des Moines, IA, Guadalajara, MX, Hong Kong, CHN, Los Angeles, CA, Madison, WI, Minneapolis, MN, Salt Lake City, UT, San Antonio, TX, San Francisco, CA, Tel Aviv, IL, Washington, D.C.

Officer of Site Selection, David Killian, conveyed the excitement of the FGG in receiving so many expressions of interest, "The FGG has never received so many expressions of interest, and these requests for information go well beyond a simple expression of intent. We are very satisfied with our procedure that allows for potential bidders to learn more about what the process entails. Bidding is long, demanding, and has a cost that any interested party needs to take into account. After a review of the responses, we consider that all bidders are able to continue the bidding process."

FGG co-president Kurt Dahl added: "We consider the choice of a host for the Gay Games one of the Federation's most important tasks. We extend words of support to the bidding groups as they take the next steps in this process. Only three of these groups will make it to the site selection meeting in late 2017 in Paris, the host of Gay Games 10 (in 2018). This is when the FGG Board and our member organizations will choose one of them as the presumptive host of Gay Games XI."

The next step in the process is the 1 May 2016 release of the Request for Proposal document which details the requirements for bidders' documents, followed by official Letters of Intent on 30 June 2016. Final Bid Books are due 30 November 2016. The complete bidding timeline is available here: www.gaygames.org/wp/the-gay-games-2/bidding-is-open-for-gay-games-xi/.

The FGG will have a first in-person contact with bidders at the next Annual General Assembly, October 2016, in Sydney, Australia, where potential bidders will be invited to attend an information session. https://gaygames.org/wp/events/aga-2016-sydney/

Gay Games 10 Paris 2018 will take place 04-12 August 2018. Registration opens May 2016. Further information can be found at https://www.paris2018.com/.

About the Federation of Gay Games: Built upon the principles of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal BestTM since 1982, the Federation of Gay Games exists to promote equality in sport and culture for all. The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982. Subsequent Gay Games were held in San Francisco (1986), Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), Sydney (2002), Chicago (2006), Cologne (2010), Cleveland+Akron (2014), and Gay Games 10 takes place in Paris in 2018.

"Gay Games," "Federation of Gay Games," the interlocking circles device, and the phrase "Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best" are trademarks of the Federation of Gay Games, Inc. Trademarks are registered in the USA, Canada, Benelux, the UK, Germany, and Australia.

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