Hong Kong will be the first Asian city to ever host the Gay Games. It was announced today that the 2022 games will be held in the Chinese city.
Hong Kong beat Mexico’s Guadalajara and Washington DC to host the 11th edition of the event. The event is expected to attract 15,000 participants to the city and bring in an additional one billion HK dollars to the local economy.
“We are proud to announce that Hong Kong has been chosen,” bid chair Dennis Philipse said. “We fought tirelessly and are elated to bring the games to Asia for the first time. Thank you all for your love and support.”
Organisers argued that bring the event to Hong Kong would tackle the stigma and cultural barriers faced by LGBT groups across the region.
The Gay Games was founded by former Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell and first held in San Francisco in 1982.
Paris will be the host of the next games in August 2018. The event features 36 sports, from mountain biking to fencing and athletics.
Hong Kong’s Pink Alliance, which promotes equal rights for the LGBT community, said the games would “help to bring a wider understanding and acceptance of our community”, not only in the southern Chinese city but throughout the region.
OIP Staff
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