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GAY GAMES IN MONTREAL EXPERIENCE
COMPETITION OF ANOTHER KIND
In 2001, Montreal won the right to host the
Gay Games from July 29 to August 5, 2006. The federal government,
the Province of Quebec and the City of Montreal whipped out
of the taxpayers' pockets and gave to the Montreal Gay Games
Committee $5 million in start-up funds, which amounts to 35%
of the anticipated budget. There are at present eleven full-time
staffers in Montreal already collecting pay cheques from these
government grants. Judging from the severe financial losses
and bankruptcy experienced by the past four International
Gay Games, the most recent held in Sydney, Australia last
year, unfortunately this $5 million treasure may be only the
beginning of the taxpayers' payout to the Montreal Gay Games
2006.
Gay Games Conflict over Funding
The International Federation of Gay Games
(FGG), which holds the rights to the Games, is acutely aware
of the financial disaster caused by this event in the past
four Gay Games, and believes that another financial disaster
could mean the end for the quadrennial competition. Consequently,
the FGG told the Montreal organizers to slash the $20 million
budget (more than double what the Australians had forecast
and failed to reach), and the prospective 24,000 participants,
to a more reasonable $12 million budget and 12,000 participants.
The Montreal organizers of the Gay Games refused
to do so, and also refused to allow the International Federation
to have any say over its budget for the 2006 games.
Consequently, the FGG withdrew from the Montreal
organizers the right to host the internationally sanctioned
Gay Games under the official logo. This means that the one
million dollar Gay Games trademark licensing fee, flew out
the window. Mark Tewksbury, a former Canadian Olympic swimming
champion and co-chairman of the Montreal games, announced,
however, that a gay sports and cultural event and competition
would go ahead in Montreal in 2006 anyway without the federation's
involvement.
This should prove interesting, as the International
Gay Games Federation plans to select another North American
city for the "official" Gay Games in 2006, with
Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles in the running. This decision
is to be announced in March 2004.
According to Roger Butt, one of the Canadian
participants in the Australian Games last year, as reported
in the homosexual newspaper, Capital Xtra (Sept. 27, 2002):
[The Gay Games] … is really one
of the few global events that can bring a large amount of
gay and lesbians together …
Or apart.
One thing is for certain: the Montreal gay
games will have plenty of "competition," not for
the athletes themselves, but rather for the "other"
location of the North American Gay Games in 2006. The other
certainty about the Montreal games is that the Canadian taxpayer
will end up bearing the financial cost of this event. According
to another participant in the games in Australia, as reported
in Capital Xtra (Sept. 27, 2003):
The [Gay] Games are very much a recognition
of something that's been going on for a long time …
It can be a benchmark and watershed in a city …
Indeed, it will be - but not exactly as planned.
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