The international Federation of Gay Games (FGG) announces that Cape Town, South Africa has been selected to host the Federation's 2008 annual meeting over excellent bids from two U.S. cities, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Palm Springs, California. Traditionally held in the fourth quarter, this year's meeting dates are 21-25 October.
This past October, the Federation celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Gay Games by holding its annual meeting in the Gay Games' birthplace of San Francisco. In selecting Cape Town to host in 2008, the Federation continues its long tradition of gathering in locations around the world to ensure strong ties within the global Gay Games sport and cultural communities.
Cape Town will mark the Federation's fourth annual meeting in the southern hemisphere. The Federation met in Sydney in 1996 and 2000 and in Johannesburg in 2001 and in other years has met in cities as varied as Lyon, Atlanta, Amsterdam and Vancouver.
The Johannesburg meeting drew participants from several African countries such as Nigeria and Namibia and launched a landmark scholarship program to bring African athletes to the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. In Cape Town the Federation looks forward to renewing its existing ties and making new African contacts in advance of the 2010 Gay Games VIII in Cologne, Germany.
"We're pleased to return to South Africa for our annual meeting", said Federation co-president Emy Ritt of Paris. "The social and economic challenges in Africa for LGBT sport and cultural organisations are unique and there is no better way to learn from each other than by meeting our Gay Games friends in their own part of the world".
Interested organisations should also note the bidding cycle for the Gay Games 2014, which started in December 2007, is still receiving Letters of Intent.