EuroGames

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EuroGames flag presented at the opening ceremony in Bern 2023. EuroGames Bern 2023 opening ceremony 11.jpg
EuroGames flag presented at the opening ceremony in Bern 2023.
Ballroom dancing competition, female latin senior category, EuroGames 2022 Nijmegen Female latin senior competition.jpeg
Ballroom dancing competition, female latin senior category, EuroGames 2022 Nijmegen

The EuroGames are an LGBT+ multi-sport event in Europe, licensed by the EGLSF (European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation) to a local city host each year and organised (most often) by one or more of the federation's member clubs. Similar to the Gay Games, EuroGames are a sports-for-all event, open for participation irrespective of sex, age, sexual identity or physical ability. Additionally it often included less prominent non-olympic sports and disciplines catering to interest of LGBT+ communities like same-sex ballroom dance, line dance, cheerleading, aerobics, bodybuilding as well synchronised/artistic swimming with male participants, which was historically forbidden.

Contents

In terms of scale EuroGames range from 1,5 to cca 4 thousand (or exceptionally more) participants primarily from the West and South of Europe but also elsewhere (often Asian and American diasporic communities), most often with extra outreach support subsidies for less privileged participants. [1] [2]

The EuroGames is most often a long weekend event with opening ceremonies, some of the sport, social and cultural activities (as side program) also happening on the days before.

History

The official name of the EuroGames is the European Gay and Lesbian Multi-Sports Championships. It is a Dutch initiative inspired by GayGames, first organized in The Hague in 1992. [3]

The EuroGames are a multi-day sporting event. They are organized annually in a European city, except in years when the global Gay Games take place. Since the advent of the World Outgames in 2006, this has been taken into account in determining whether or not a city is assigned to a particular year. In a year in which Gay Games and/or World Outgames take place, EuroGames generally do not take place.

Like the Gay Games as well as the World Outgames, the EuroGames are open to everyone regardless of gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. When a competitive sport has not yet reached the maximum number of participants, participants from non-European countries are also admitted.

Since 2001, the EuroGames have existed in two versions: the big EuroGames and the small EuroGames. It was planned that these small Games would have a maximum of 1,500 participants and seven sports and would last two days. The "small" EuroGames Utrecht 2005 were an exception to this. Almost 3,000 participants, nine competition sports and three competition days made Utrecht, as the smallest organizing city until then, have the largest 'small' Games compared to Hannover and Copenhagen in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

EuroGames 2023 in Bern, Switzerland

LGBT flags in Bern center during EuroGames and Pride LGBT flags in Bern during EuroGames 2023 03.jpg
LGBT flags in Bern center during EuroGames and Pride
Jasmine Imbogen, co-president of EuroGames 2023 Jasmine Imboden EuroGames 2023 Bern 19.jpg
Jasmine Imbogen, co-president of EuroGames 2023

The 2023 EuroGames took place in Bern from 26 to 29 July 2023. 20 sporting disciplines and over 2,000 athletes of various sexual orientations and gender identities participated in the event. [4] The sporting event included new demonstration sports like Quidditch and local recreation like hiking. [5] Classic disciplines included tennis and bowling, but other disciplines such as street workout, the Hyrox challenge, quidditch and many other activities were scheduled. [6]

Co-presidents of EGLSF Sarah Townsend and Hugh Torrance with the mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried brandishing the towns EuroGames 2023 trophee at the opening ceremony. EuroGames Bern 2023 opening ceremony 05.jpg
Co-presidents of EGLSF Sarah Townsend and Hugh Torrance with the mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried brandishing the towns EuroGames 2023 trophee at the opening ceremony.

The centre of the old town was decorated with 250 LGBT flags. for the occasion The city of Bern has had to deactivate its Twitter comment function following homophobic comments, notably from the Swiss Young SVP party. The youth branch of the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland has indicated that they are considering filing a complaint. [3]

EuroGames Village, night Pride program (Q.U.M. stage) EuroGames 2023 Bern - night program with Q.U.M. (Queer Underground Movement).jpg
EuroGames Village, night Pride program (Q.U.M. stage)
EuroGames 2023 medals EuroGames 2023 Bern medals 15 28 50 127000.jpeg
EuroGames 2023 medals

Jasmine Imboden and Greg Zwygart co-president the 2023 EuroGames association. [7] According to Greg Zwygart, the EuroGames is an inclusive sport event, also for heterosexual athletes. The event includes trans and intersex people even though these categories of people are not present in some sport disciplines. [7]

EuroGames 2023 hosting impacted Bern Pride to have exceptionally big Village and elaborate multi-day and multi-vanue program mostly with local talent and few guests. [8]

EuroGames 2023 Bern - inclusive signs EuroGames 2023 Bern - swimming pool 16 13 02 693000.jpeg
EuroGames 2023 Bern - inclusive signs

Chronology

EuroGames Lyon in 2025

On Twitter, Julie Nublat-Faure  [ fr ], deputy mayor in charge of sports, announced that the 2025 EuroGames would be held in Lyon from 23 to 26 July. This is the first time the city has hosted a European sports competition dedicated to the LGBT+ community [9] This 22nd edition [9] plans to bring together some 4,000 athletes from over 40 countries in Europe and around the world, [9] who will compete along the banks of the Saône and Rhône rivers in over thirty sporting disciplines, including tennis, football, rugby, synchronised swimming, pétanque, sailing, dance and choral singing. Participation in this sporting competition is made possible thanks to the support of fifteen clubs affiliated to the OS.L [10]

The LGBT+ Sports Federation also pointed out that this event offers the opportunity "to exchange ideas and raise awareness among participants and spectators around themes such as LBGT+ handisport, the fight against serophobia, and notions of gender and sexual orientation". [10]

Table of EuroGames edition

EditionYearLocationCountryParticipantsCountriesSportsNoteOther bidders
11992 The Hague Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 30054
21993 The Hague Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 54086
31995 Frankfurt Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 2,00013
41996 Berlin Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 3,2471817
51997 Paris Flag of France.svg  France 2,0001817 Brussels, Zürich
1999 Manchester Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 000Cancelled Cologne
62000 Zürich Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 4,50019 Hamburg
72001 Hanover Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1,5007Small EuroGames
82003 Copenhagen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 2,2007Small EuroGames
92004 Munich Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 5,0503827 Vienna
102005 Utrecht Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 2,855449Small EuroGames
112007 Antwerp Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 3,6503811+1Small EuroGames
122008 Barcelona Flag of Spain.svg  Spain >5,0004025
132011 Rotterdam Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands >3,00026
142012 Budapest Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
152015 Stockholm Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 4,4657128Big EuroGames
162016 Helsinki Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 1,4004014EuroGames
172019 Rome Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
2020 Düsseldorf Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Cancelled
182021 Copenhagen/Malmö Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark/Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 2,00022
192022 Nijmegen Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands >2,00017
202023 Bern Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland >2,0007520
212024 Vienna Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
222025 Lyon Flag of France.svg  France

See also

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References

  1. "Montenegrin delegation for the first time on LGBT EuroGames - BudapestCrna Gora po prvi put na LGBT EuroGame-su u Budimpešti". LGBT Forum Progres. 2012-07-05. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  2. "Outreach". Eurogames 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  3. 1 2 "EuroGames à Berne: polémique à cause des drapeaux LGBT". 20 minutes (in French). 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  4. "Eurogames: LGBTQ-Olympia startet in Bern". 20 Minuten (in German). 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  5. "Timed Hiking - EuroGames 2023 Bern". 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. "Sports - EuroGames 2023 Bern". 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  7. 1 2 "EuroGames in Bern: Über 2.000 Sportler*innen erwartet – auch aus Russland". queer.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  8. "BernPride - Programm". www.bernpride.ch. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  9. 1 2 3 REdaction, La (2022-04-15). "EuroGames : l'événement sportif LGBT+ s'installe à Lyon en 2025". Vivre Lyon (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  10. 1 2 Vallet, Romain (2022-08-04). "EuroGames 2025 : il va y avoir du sport !". Hétéroclite (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-28.