Chicago Games, Inc., the local host organization of the 2006 Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival, hosted a Town Hall Meeting for close to 100 people Feb. 3 in the Rubloff Auditorium of the Chicago Historical Society.
Gay Games VII Board of Directors presented an outline of progress made since winning the bid March 2, 2004. This includes statistics on registrations (2,000 people from more than 25 countries), and sponsorships (more than $2 million in cash and $3.5 million in media barter). Mayor Daley was also announced as Chair of the Honorary Board for Gay Games VII. Strategic partnerships with the city, universities, and non-profit cultural groups were also discussed.
Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will take place July 15-22, 2006. More than 12,000 athletes from more than 80 countries will compete in 30 sports ranging from softball to dancesport, swimming to tennis. The weeklong event will include an arts festival, band, cheerleading and chorus performances, and a series of community-organized social events and parties. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 15 at Soldier Field, the lakefront home stadium of football’s Chicago Bears. Closing ceremony will be July 22 at Wrigley Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, located in the heart of Chicago’s largest LGBT neighborhood. Athletes and artists can register now for Gay Games VII.
See www.GayGamesChicago.org.
PICTURED: GGVII co-chairs Sam Coady and Suzi Arnold.