Gay Games XI Hong Kong: it is worth the wait

image source: ​https://gaygames.org/

At its annual meeting in Paris in 2017, the international Federation of Gay Games (FGG) announced that Hong Kong had won the bid to host the Gay Games XI in 2022, beating Washington DC, USA and Guadalajara, Mexico. The decision marks the first time a city in Asia becomes the host of the Games. 
Origin of the Gay Games
The Gay Games (originally named the “Gay Olympics”) was the brainchild of Tom Waddell. Out as a gay man, Waddell had served as a physician within the US military and competed as a decathlete in the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics. Galvanized by the momentum of civil rights movement and the burgeoning of equality rights advocacy (for race, gender, sexual identity, etc.) in society at that time, Waddell solidified his idea of holding an “Olympic-style” sporting event for the LGBTQ+ community.
Through the “Gay Olympics”, Waddell hoped to recreate the Olympics’ power to bring people of diverse backgrounds together, with his additional agenda to humanize and make visible the LGBTQ+ community to spectators. In an interview with the CNN, Waddell said that the Games is a form of activism, through which LGBTQ+ people could play the same sports they watched during the Olympics and achieve the same kind of glory as he had at the 1968 Olympics. 
Just short before debut of the frist Gay Olympics in 1982, San Francisco, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sued Waddell and other event organizers for appropriation of the name “Olympics.” Despite many other groups (e.g., the “Special Olympics”) have previously used the name without facing lawsuits, USOC alleged that a “Gay Olympics” would injure its image and obtained an injunction against Waddell’s use of this name 19 days before the opening ceremony. The event was immediately renamed as the “Gay Games.”
The nine-day Games was a great success and attracted 1,350 athletes from 12 nations to compete. One distinguishing feature of the Games is taht everyone is welcomed to participate regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or atheletic ability. Throughout the years, events at the Games have extended beyond the traditional Olympic sports to include Dodgeball, Cheerleading, E-Sports, and cultural events which enhances accessibility to and inclusion of all participants.
Gay Games XI Hong Kong: from 2022 to 2023?
Just like the first ever Gay Games in history, Gay Games Hong Kong (GGHK), the first ever in Asia, has been riddled with obstacles and uncertainties. 
The GGHK, which was to be held in 2022, was postponed to 2023 due to travel restrictions and other public health concerns in light of the pandemic. Guadalajara will join Hong Kong as the co-host next year to ensure greater accessibility for participants across the world. To some critiques, however, this postponement and new arrangements reveal the GGHK’s lack of resources and institutional support.  This February, Beijing was able to hold the Winter Olympics while in compliance with a rather stringent “zero-COVID” policy, whereas the GGHK entirely relies on volunteers and the fundraising of the non-profit FGG. It is impossible to establish a similar “closed-loop” bubble with routine PCR testings and disinfections the way Beijing had it. 
Another dilemma is the venue-booking for the GGHK. Lisa Lam, a co-chair of the Games, told RTHK that with the existing rigid policy of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), a charitable orginazation can only book LCSD facilities three to six months in advance. As organizers would not be able to have early enough confirmations of the government-run venues, they have turned to universities and private sports clubs for support.
Hong Kong’s legal and socio-political climate underwent some changes after it was elected the host city in 2017. Although Hong Kong courts have retained the originalist definition of marriage - between a man and a woman to the exclusion of others, there has since been tangible judicial progress in upholding the validity of same-sex foreign workers’ dependent visa and a gay civil servant’s spousal benefit. In 2020, the High Court granted two separating lesbian mothers joint custody of the children. 
However, socio-political concerns have become more conspicuous after the protracted anti-extradition movement in 2019 and the subsequent passage of National Security Law. In 2021, the Taiwan Gay Sports and Movement Association announced that they would not send a Taiwanese delegation to the GGHK, fearing for the athletes’ “personal safety” and inability to display the Republic of China national flag. Inside the Legislative Council, three pro-establishment legislators expressed sharp criticisms that the authority’s support for the Games would be tantamount to supporting same-sex marriage. Among them, Junius Ho further suggested that to avoid another potential “political storm,” officials should consult the Office for Safeguarding National Security before they openly take a stance.
Ways Forward
It is almost uncanny how a successful preparation and hosting of the Gay Games can be so easily overshadowed by the “greater” or “mainstream” concerns for trademark violation, public health crisis, or political disruptions. And yet, the Games has made its 40th anniversary and continues expanding its influence geographically and demographically. The general public is overall optimistic that GGHK 2023 would be a great opportunity to strengthen Hong Kong’s image as a vibrant, diverse, and welcoming international city gradually recovering from the previous turmoils. 
The GGHK would also be a huge benefit for the local LGBTQ+ community, providing those who were unable to participate before the unparalleled experience of celebrating diversity and unity in the home city. Most importantly, a new sport has been added just for the Hong Kong Games: Mahjong.
Reference:
 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/31/us/gay-games-lgbtq-olympics-trnd/index.html 

 San Francisco Arts & Atheletics Inc. v United States Olympic Committee.
https://gaygames.org/History

 https://gaygames.org/latest-news/7568459 
 https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1619165-20211110.htm

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