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Compete, the Gay Sports Magazine (formerly Sports Out Loud), is calling for nominations for the 2009 Athlete of the Year award. You can nominate yourself, or another LGBTIQ athlete (with their concession); the requirements are commitment to personal achievement, active participation in individual or team sport, commitment to supporting/encouraging others in sports, commitment to the LGBT sporting community and/or LGBT community. Bridget Pettis, David Bromstad, Sarah Burke, Evan Darling, and Jeff Kagan are the Final Judges selecting the 2009 Athlete of the Year. For details and rules, please see the website. The applications must be submitted by October 6, 2009. [...]

The FARE Action Week unites supporters, clubs and those targeted by racism across the continent in a concerted effort to make discrimination a thing of the past. The Action Week of the Football Against Racism in Europe network aims to boost public awareness of the problems of racism and exclusion and to create a united front in dealing with this malign influence on Europe's number one sport. The idea behind the FARE Action Week is that a wide range of initiatives and activities address local problems within their club or community, while also joining groups across the continent to present [...]

The organizers of the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany, announced yesterday that more than 1,700 athletes and artists have now registered to participate in the quadrennial sports & cultural event next July and August. Participants from more than 30 nations have already signed up including many from Eastern European countries where many who are openly gay or lesbian are still persecuted. Participation by the host country Germany leads all other nations with registrations from the United States and The Netherlands following close behind. “Registrations have increased substantially in the last few months,” said Annette Wachter, CEO of Games Cologne. [...]

Footballer Andrei Arshavin is the latest high profile celebrity to back the Council of Europe’s ‘Speak Out Against Discrimination’ campaign on the Campaign's newly launched website. The 28 year old Arsenal and Russia midfielder said that football is "a sport which gives every player the chance to compete on the basis of ability. This is how life should be." The endorsement is a boost to the 16 September launch of the campaign in Moscow and is the highlight of the organisation’s newly redesigned anti-discrimination website. The campaign is supported by several celebrities around Europe and abroad, including Alexander Rybak, Singer, [...]

Following an invitation from Outgames 2009, on Monday, 27 July, 30 participants attended the FGG Session on "The Future of LGBT Sport and Culture". Both global LGBT sports organisations - Federation of Gay Games (FGG) and Gay & Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA) attended the meeting. Representatives of the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) were also present. At the session, a statement, joined by a petition was presented, encouraging organisation of (only) one quadrennial LGBT sports event in the future. No concrete suggestions were given regarding exact structure or organisation but there is a strong interest in dialogue [...]