By Dirk Smith, MSc, SDL
Following the last 1.5 years that has changed the world, many LGBTQ+ athletes are looking forward to getting back into sport and LGBTQ+ sporting events like the NAGAAA Cup are planning to take place this year after a year of event cancellations due to the pandemic. A lot of eyes and ears have been on Hong Kong which has been through a rough few years given the pandemic and political protests that have shaken the city down to its very core. The big question lies in what is happening with the 2022 Gay Games planning to be held in Hong Kong? For the first Gay Games held in Asia, a lot has happened to the city since it was selected as the host for the 2022 quadrennial event. In a statement shared by the GGHK organizing committee, they doubled down on their efforts to put on a successful event.
“We’re excited and counting down to Gay Games 11 Hong Kong 2022 (GGHK) with just over 600 days away. The last 12 months have been challenging for everyone, but we are seeing positive momentum with the global roll-out of the vaccine programs. Volunteers from across the world are continuing to join GGHK on a weekly basis and our survey continues to show a growing number of people willing to travel to Hong Kong to participate at GGHK. The GGHK team is on track with our planning to deliver a successful GGHK event. On 25th March we will announce our initial partners and launch the Financial Inclusion Scholarship Program and pre-registration.
We are expecting 12,000 participants and 75,000 spectators from over 100 countries to come to Hong Kong on November 11-19th 2022. This is the first time GGHK will be hosted in Asia, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Gay Games. We are excited and proud, and very aware of the impact of this responsibility given the unusual circumstances we are in globally at the moment. The GGHK team of 130+ professional volunteers is committed and actively reviewing our contingency preparations to ensure we deliver a successful Gay Games event.
GGHK is a non-political and non-profit organization that is organizing a large diversity sports, arts & cultural event in Hong Kong. Right from the bid stage, GGHK has been working closely and productively with the HK Government and their bureaus. We have support from the Government via several supporting organisations (see our website).
We believe GGHK will have a significant and lasting effect on the society in Hong Kong, Asia and globally and are looking forward to seeing you all in Hong Kong in 2022!”
There is a lot that can happen in the next one and a half years, but we are looking forward to the 2022 Gay Games Hong Kong and we hope for the best that they will deliver a strong, successful and well-organized event.
