Athletes and human rights activists can enjoy the best of both worlds at next year’s Asia Pacific Outgames.
The format for the games has changed to allow sporting events to be held in the first half of the week, starting March 12, while the three-day human rights conference will conclude the week, finishing March 19, 2011.
The Asia Pacific Outgames is a regional focused games, which launched in 2008 and was an off-shoot of the World Outgames.
The World Outgames caused much controversy when it rivaled the more established Gay Games, with both being held in Montreal in 2006.
Although the Outgames attracted more participants, the Gay Games have continued and both are being staged on different years.
GLISA (Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association) Asia Pacific has given the thumbs up to preparations for the 2nd Asia Pacific Outgames to be held in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.
‘We have been impressed with the highly skilled and committed team of volunteers who are scoping and preparing for the Outgames,’ GLISA spokesman Nick Ward said.
‘It’s a huge undertaking and the planning is well advanced with many exciting ideas to make this a unique games.
‘There is a huge amount of community support and excitement.’
The Outgames is a whole of community event featuring 16 sporting events, an arts and cultural festival and Human Rights conference, with a broad program of parties and celebrations throughout the week of the games.
The sporting events are? swimming,? volleyball,? dancesport,? badminton, ?field hockey,? netball,? bridge,? mountain biking,? running (5k and 10k),?tennis, fast-pitch softball, ten pin bowling, ?lawn bowls, diving (platform and springboard), squash and golf.
Meanwhile the theme of the conference will be Dignity, Equality and Security: Diversity and Strength.
Human Rights Convener Barry Taylor said the theme had to focus on the universal issue of equal rights.
‘National issues for a lot of countries are very different,’ Mr Taylor said.
‘In New Zealand and Australia it’s more about the right to adopt, get married and have access whereas many countries it’s gaining basic rights and facing being put to death for cultivating their sexuality.’
Hence the conference streams have has been broken down into employment, education, history, disability, religion and inter-faith streams.
He said there were also opportunities for groups of people with a shared interest to meet and discuss issues relevant to them.
Planned caucuses identified so far are M?ori, Pacific people, women, trans people, youth and bisexual people.
‘A regional gathering like this on human rights issues is a real chance for networking organisations to have regional collaboration,’ Mr Taylor said.
‘The thing with one-off conferences is that when you go in two years time they are repeating the same stuff whereas we want to grow incremental thinking.
‘The real commitment of the Outgames is to create a legacy so each conference and sporting cultural event will build towards the next one.’
Mr Taylor is planning a community presentation on the second Asia Pacific Outgames at Loton Park Tennis Club February 2, from 6pm to 7pm.
Registrations can be made at www.wellingtonoutgames.com
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