Denver Announces the Sports and Culture Events for the Gay Games 2030 Bid

Local organizations line up to support GGDen2030

DENVER, June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee announces their plan for a week of exceptional athletic competitions and cultural celebrations. They are proposing a world-class lineup of culture events alongside a diverse range of sporting activities. Colorado's unique blend of Denver-based regional highlights is designed to provide all participants and spectators with an unparalleled experience, embracing all aspects of equity, diversity, and inclusion through both sport and culture.

Denver was recently named one of the final 10 cities world-wide who are bidding to host Gay Games XIII and the only city in the USA still in the race. The quadrennial event is expected to bring over 12,000 participants from more than 100 countries to the winning host city and will provide an unrivaled opportunity to showcase the local Denver LGBTQ+ community to the world. If the GGDen2030 team is successful in their bid, the week-long celebration is expected to bring in over $110 million in economic benefits to Denver metro area communities.

Following the announcement of support from Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, community support for the GGDen2030 bid continues to blossom. Additional state and city politicians, local sport leagues, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are lining up to offer their support to bring the Gay Games XIII to Denver. Thanks to a partnership with Visit Denver, local businesses are getting excited to offer visitors from around the world diverse and locally crafted food, drink, and entertainment.

Culture events proposed by GGDen2030 will spotlight the best Denver has to offer. The week will showcase a themed visual art collection alongside a music program featuring everything from folk music to edm shows to a gala concert of choir, band, orchestra, and cheerleaders. Denver will also share their active and growing drag scene with performances from esteemed local queens and kings in an entertainment setting designed for all.

The sporting slate of the Gay Games includes an incredibly diverse range of team and individual sports, all leveraging the best of the Denver area's world class facilities and outdoor venues. Events such as aquatics – which will feature a new local diving facility – and bodybuilding – to be held in Denver's world-class convention center – will highlight Denver's state of the art sporting infrastructure. Meanwhile the integrated sport and culture programs will entertain audiences with the high-stakes medaled sports of cheerleading, dancesport, and figure skating paired with crowd-loving exhibitions, all of which will be open to the public.

With Denver's close proximity to the world-class Rocky Mountains, the proposed Gay Games are slated to host tournaments for local essentials such as sport climbing and mountain biking. The GGDen2030 bid would not be complete without incorporating local state and city parks for competitions in triathlon, distance running events, and track and field.

By providing visitors and locals with a unique series of sporting and cultural events, Gay Games Denver 2030 hopes to provide an international event to remember which will instill in participants the critical Federation of Gay Games principles of "Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best™." The unprecedented collaboration with dozens of local LGBTQ+ organizations working with the GGDen2030 bid team hopes to be a model for future Gay Games. The opportunity to contribute to the legacy of the event is paired with a sense of purpose to leave the local community with a rejuvenated sense of pride.

GGDen2030 calls to action:

• Visit www.ggden2030.com to sign-up for updates & more
• Email [email protected]
  • Letters of support from LGBTQIA+ and ally personalities, politicians, businesses, media, sport and cultural organizations
  • Fundraising inquiries for corporate sponsorships, foundations, individual giving
  • Professional and volunteer support
• Follow social media Facebook, Instagram (@GayGamesDenver2030) and X (@GGDenver2030)

About the Federation of Gay Games
Built upon the principles of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best™ 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), Paris (2018), Hong Kong and Guadalajara (2023), and Gay Games XII will take place in Valencia in 2026.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Courtney von Bergen & Lance Husak, Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee Co-Chairs
[email protected]  
Matthew Bendure, Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee Communications Director
[email protected]

SOURCE Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee