Let the Gaymes Begin: The Gay Games in The ArQuives
by Gordon Richardson, with assistance from Alan Miller and Michael Holmes (photography).
The Gay Games were founded in June 1981 by Dr. Tom Waddell, a 1968 U.S. Olympic Decathlete, as the Gay Olympic Games. In August 1982, however, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) obtained a temporary restraining order barring the San Francisco Arts and Athletics (SFAA) from using the name Gay “Olympic” Games. SFAA removed the word “Olympic.” In June 1987 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling letting stand the decision to disallow the use of the word “Olympic” by SFAA. However, some t-shirts bearing the word “Olympic” were designed before they were banned and The ArQuives has three of these shirts.
Gay Games I: Challenge ‘82
The 1982 games took place in San Francisco, CA from August 28 to September 2. Athletes competing numbered 1,350 in 11 sports, joined by 300 cultural participants. The motto “Challenge” was not used at Gay Games I. It is a later invention to harmonize the first Gay Games with all later editions, which have each had a motto. Because of constant use over decades, this motto has been left on the record, while noting that its use is not historically accurate. In addition to the three banned t-shirts, we have a framed poster from this event.
Gay Games II: Triumph ‘86
The 1986 games also took place in San Francisco, CA from August 10 to August 17. Athletes competing numbered 3,500 in 17 sports, with 400 cultural participants.
Gay Games III: Celebration ‘90
The 1990 games took place in Vancouver, BC from August 4 to August 11. Athletes competing numbered 7,300 in 27 sports, with 1,500 cultural participants. This was the first games to be held outside the United States.
Gay Games IV: Unity ‘94
The 1994 games took place in New York, NY from June 18 to June 25. Nearly 11,000 athletes competed in 31 sports, with about 1,500 cultural participants. The games coincided with the 25th anniversary events of the Stonewall riots.
Gay Games V: Friendship ‘98
The 1998 games took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from August 1 to August 8. Athletes competing numbered 14,000 and with cultural participants made history as the first Gay Games to be held outside North America.
Gay Games VI: Under New Skies 2002
The 2002 games took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from November 2 to November 9. More than 11,000 athletes competed joined by 1,100 cultural participants. This marked the first time the Gay Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere, and near Asia.
Gay Games VII: Where the World Meets
The 2006 games took place in Chicago, IL from July 15 to July 22. Athletes competing numbered 11.500 in 30 sports. The seventh edition of the Gay Games was originally planned for Montreal, QC but the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) removed its sanction after differences arose between it and the Montreal organizing committee over budget and liability issues.
Gay Games VIII: Be part of it!
The 2010 games took place in Cologne, Germany from July 31 to August 7. Athletes competing numbered 7,193 in 35 sports. The 2010 games marked the first time the games were held in Germany and the second time in Europe. The Toronto gay hockey team, the Wolfpack, won a silver medal at this event which The ArQuives now has in its collection. Unfortunately, no t-shirt is in our holdings.
Gay Games 9: The Games for All
The 2014 games took place in Cleveland and Akron, OH from August 9 to August 16. An estimated 10,000 athletes competed in more than 35 sports. Also featured were band and choral competitions, and community and cultural events throughout the Cleveland and Akron areas. Other cities who bid for the 2014 Games were Boston, MA and Washington, DC. The Toronto gay hockey team, the Wolfpack, won a gold medal at this event which The ArQuives now has in its collection.