2006 Gay Games

LGBT multi sport event in Chicago, Illinois, US

The 2006 Gay Games (Gay Games VII), colloquially called the Chicago Gaymes, was part of a family of international sports and cultural festivals called Gay Games, sanctioned by the Federation of Gay Games and organized by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community of the host city of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. The competition took place July 15– July 22, 2006. The official Gay Games VII slogan was "Where the World Meets." Actual athletic events were played in venues scattered throughout Chicago and its suburbs, all participating in the Gay Games through special permissive votes in their respective town or village councils. Cultural events included concerts and performances by Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Megan Mullally, and others added to the festival's feel and charm. Contemporary artists also provided exhibitions as part of the Gay Games. Corporate sponsorship was key in planning Gay Games VII, garnering support for global advertising from large companies like Absolut Vodka, American Airlines, Ernst & Young, Fleishman Hillard and Walgreens. Media relationships were created with the Chicago Sun Times, The New York Times, ChicagoPride. com and the National Broadcasting Company. Advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign offered substantial funding for the event, as well.

Four cities submitted bids. Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Montreal. The decision was made September 2001 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This was Chicago's first time bidding for the Gay Games. Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles provided opportunities for the Gay Games to return to the United States for the first time since the 1994 Gay Games in New York City. Chicago's bid placed an emphasis on Chicago's status as a hub of international travel.

The seventh edition of the Gay Games had been awarded to Montreal, Canada, in 2006, but the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) removed its sanction after differences arose between it and the Montréal 2006 organizing committee. For more information on the change of host cities, see the Schism in LGBT sports communities over Gay Games VII section of the Gay Games article. Reasons for Montreal's selection over Chicago and the other bidding cities included guarantees for government funding, U. S. ban on HIV positive foreign tourist, and the relative affordability of Canada.

The 2006 Gay Games, which were attended by an estimated 150,000 spectators and featured over 12,000 athletic and cultural participants, became the first edition of the Gay Games in over 20 years to turn a profit. The Chicago Games organizers managed to break even and create a meager profit. In contrast, the Montreal OutGames reportedly lost US$4 million. The financial success of the Chicago games was announced a year after the close of the games. According to Kevin Boyer, the co vice chair of Chicago Games Inc., the final total cash budget of the 2006 games was slightly over US$9 million. He reported that there were an additional, "$13.2 million in barter and in kind sponsorships which included, among other categories, media and marketing ($7.2 million), legal service, cash handling, technology consulting, and waived facility rentals." The state of Illinois provided a 1.4% of the cash budget through a $125,000 tourism grant. CGI managed to fill a budget gap of approximately $300,000 (3% of the cash budget). According to Boyer, this was accomplished, "with additional fundraising from donors and sponsors, especially longtime Gay Games competitors and supporters Dick Uyvari and Joe LaPat, as well as negotiated reductions in expenses with some of our vendors." Boyer added that CGI, "also continued to aggressively pursue post Gay Games revenue from DVD, photo, and merchandise sales as well as the sale of hard assets such as furniture, technology, and equipment." Seven months prior to the opening of the games, organizers had already secured 6,000 paid registrants and accumulated the first pre Games financial surplus in the history of the Gay Games.

The U. S. is one of the few countries in the world to deny entry to visitors infected with HIV, a condition which causes AIDS. The Federal government ruled that non United States citizens with HIV or AIDS would be allowed to travel to attend the Gay Games in Chicago. The provision of such a waiver had the support of Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois elected Representative Jan Schakowsky. Waivers for travel restrictions regularly have been provided for events such as the Olympics and international conferences. The previous Gay Games in the United States, the 1994 Gay Games, received a similar waiver from then President Bill Clinton.

Chicago Games Inc. organized a successful outreach program which enabled 120 scholarship athletes from South Africa, Croatia, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America to attend the games.

40,000 people attended the ceremony which took place in Chicago's Soldier Field on July 15, 2006.

"On behalf of all the people of Chicago, I'm delighted to welcome you to the seventh Gay Games. I want to acknowledge the Co Chairs of Chicago Games, Suzanne Arnold and Sam Coady, Vice Co Chairs Tracy Baim and Kevin Boyer, as well as their staff and all the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make these games a reality. I would also like to thank the Federation of Gay Games, for choosing Chicago as the 2006 host City and for carrying on the vision of Tom Waddell. Chicago is pleased and honored to have been selected to host this historic event, and you could not have chosen a more appropriate site."

The Games' closing ceremony was held July 22, 2006 at Wrigley Field. 25,000 spectators attended. Mayor Richard M. Daley handed over the flag to the Deputy Mayor of Cologne, host of the next Gay Games. Performers included, amongst others, Cyndi Lauper.

The 2006 Gay Games received an unprecedented level of media coverage, both ahead of and during the Games. QTV had agreed to make their broadcasts available in over 150 markets worldwide. This deal later fell through though, and the games were instead covered through a number of media outlets. The games received coverage on CNN, NBC's The Today Show, and The Weather Channel. Individual sponsorship ranged from $500 to over $1 million.

The games were the first in over 20 years to make a profit. The games were estimated to have between a $50 and $80 million financial impact on the host city. Chicago would go on to launch an, ultimately unsuccessful, bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was felt that Chicago's experience hosting the Gay Games might boost its chances of winning its Olympic bid.