While the Games will remain in the Cleveland/Akron area, the bidding organization, Cleveland Synergy Foundation, has lost the license to host the games. This is not a surprise, as we have been reporting on this move for almost a month. From the Federation of Gay Games:
The Federation of Gay Games ended its relationship with Cleveland Synergy Foundation (CSF), effective 6 July 2010. The FGG remains committed to the host city of Cleveland, and the State of Ohio to host Gay Games IX in 2014. Cleveland city officials and a delegation of regional organizers and supporters will accept the flag of the Federation of Gay Games in Cologne, Germany on 7 August 2010 at the closing ceremony from the city officials of Cologne, Germany.
“The FGG, cooperating with its Cleveland partners, continues to work hard to ensure that planning for the 2014 Cleveland Gay Games progresses at a satisfactory pace.”
This is not necessarily a bad thing. As one FGG board member told us yesterday, and as we’ve said for years, the bidding process and hosting process are two very different tasks and take two very different skill sets. It makes sense that they would be performed by two very different groups. Now hopefully a group of gay men and women can come forward and host the games in conjunction with the City of Cleveland.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 5:50 AM
This is actually a joke. The FGG Board is a joke. At the Chicago Games, the cycling events were officiated by a fly-by-night group that caused many of us, who are licensed by USA Cycling, to get sanctioned. The entire FGG Board needs to be replaced.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 7:05 AM
Shoulda done it in Boston…
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 10:07 AM
The poor decision-making by the FGG continues. For an organization that wants to build the Gay Games name and movement while having a competing event such as the “Out Games” you don’t choose Cleveland/Akron in the first place. Especially when the Cleveland organization didn’t have any prior involvement with the FGG or the Gay Games.
Lack of experience, not a destination and now the city rather than the gay community in charge of hosting the event and still they are sticking behind Cleveland/Akron.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Yikes, what a bunch of bitter queens!
Hey BosWash- YOU LOST. Go cry into your $20 cosmo, and let the people who aren’t afraid of breaking a nail take care of these games.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 10:31 AM
Don’t worry- it just eats them up that their prejudices about the Midwest are evaporating before their eyes. In Cleveland, “mainstream” organizations- the city and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission- are enthusiastic about the games and welcoming gays from all over the world.
In Boston and DC, I guess, it takes an advocacy group to do that.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 10:32 AM
For one I’m not from DC, so don’t make assumptions Bob. I haven’t perceived DC to be bitter at all. Read the articles thoroughly as the bitterness came from Boston.
Also, ask around and similar comments will come from athletes across the country and world.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 12:47 PM
I have no prejudices of the Midwest, for which I’m from. Indiana for that matter. I think the support for the Cleveland/Akron communities is great to see.
However, at this time the movement of the Gay Games is not big enough for cities like Cleveland. Especially when you still have a competing event. Actually there are two competing events, Out Games and Euro Games. Euro Games have already stated they will hold their event in 2014 as well.
Until the gay sports movement can reconcile and rally behind one quadrangle tournament, and until the Gay Games itself can be a draw for not just the most dedicated athlete, it makes the most sense to host the event in a city with a more international appeal that is well known.
I look forward to a time when the Gay Games is big enough to get athletes of all ages, income levels and areas of the world to go regardless of where it’s hosted. The Olympics can go anywhere as long of the infrastructure is there. Unfortunately many that attend and compete at the Gay Games makes their decision based on location at this time. Once the movements are reconciled this can change and I look forward to it.
I am someone that intends to compete in Cleveland and do wish them the best because I do want to have a great experience.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 1:46 PM
When the Miss America crown was stripped from Vanessa Williams, the Pageant didn’t go out looking around Syracuse or New York for that matter to find a replacement Queen. The title was passed to the first runner-up. The FGG’s only guidelines (following the fiasco in Montreal) were modified to apply that very same logic to the Gay Games bid process.
The decision to stay in Cleveland in spite of terminating the contract with the winning bidder is illogical, inconsistent with the stated rules of engagement with the FGG and entirely counter to the RFP as outlined by the Federation Board of Directors. On the surface the decision of the FGG makes absolutely no sense. Peel back the onion and begin to look at the players/decision makers and what they stand to gain personally and financially from keeping the Games in Cleveland – and the rationale becomes a bit more clear – at the very least suspicious.
Shameful. But sadly typical of the FGG and its site selection process/committee. The legacy of Dr. Tom Waddell takes a hit with every decision of the FGG Board of Directors. Is embarrassing.
on Aug 4th, 2010 at 3:02 PM
I find this disturbing. The selection process clearly needs to be refined. I found it surprising that Cleveland bid for the games and then won it to begin with. It sounded like they put a lot of time, effort and money into getting the games. I applaud that effort. I am also confident that the games will be a great experience for all once they get here.
What disturbs me is the concept that the bid group did their job well, so well in fact that the lack of gay community involvement was hidden or unimportant in the process. “Now hopefully a group of gay men and women can come forward and host the games in conjunction with the City of Cleveland.”
Both Boston and DC have had significant presence in the games over the years. They both have strong dedicated LGBT Sport Teams. They have participated directly for many years in the FGG. Where was Cleveland?
That the City of Cleveland is behind this and willing to put the effort forward is commendable. To have such commitment from the host city is great! Thanks Cleveland.
This is not just a matter of non-LGBT organizations running the games but rather the expectation that the games are founded on strong LGBT community support and involvement.
I look forward to competing in Cleveland, but once again the FGG has reacted in ways that make the community question motives, process, integrity.
DISTURBING!
on Aug 5th, 2010 at 5:56 PM
I, too, was in Chicago, and the events I participated in/attended were a fiasco. The triathlon was run by non-athletes and the results were a disaster – same with the track meet. If you go to the Chicago site right now, there are not complete track meet results because they never existed. In contrast, all reports I am getting from athletes in Cologne are thumbs-up – well-organized, professional, and festive. They are posting results every day and clearly they know what they are doing.
Now we have the 2014 Games being held in Cleveland and noone at this time is actually running the games? And the comment is “now hopefully someone will step forward” – ???? Are you serious? Fine if the two processes require different skill sets – you still make sure someone who knows what they are doing is actually going to RUN THE EVENT before awarding the Games to them!! Come on!
And people wonder why Outgames exists.
on Aug 5th, 2010 at 6:57 PM
The FGG board seems to be its own worst enemy, its internal disputes resulted in the fracturing of the gay sports movement, and seems to learn nothing from past experience.
Maybe they should suspend the games until they have a chance to do an total critical analysis of the problems (perhaps by outside consultants) and a total reorg of the board.
on Aug 6th, 2010 at 5:33 AM
The Cleveland Synergy Foundation won their bid due to their experience with LGBT events. CSF has engaged and partnered with every known LGBT organization in the Cleveland, Akron and surrounding cities. Without a signed license agreement how can the FGG claim to have other “Cleveland Partners” as stated above? Their only legal partnership was with CSF. Is the plan suggested above really that we now have to hope and wait for some LGBT folks to come forward? Yes, it is understood that the bidding process and hosting process are two different tasks taking two different skill sets, but wasn’t that part of the RFP response given by CSF, Washington and Boston? I am really interested in hearing CSFs side of the story as it appears that the politicians in Cleveland are stealing away the Gay Games from the LGBT organizers who actually did all of the work and won the bid.
It should also be noted that the $700K grant allocated by the city of Cleveland (Ord 1260-09) was based upon Cleveland Synergy Foundation’s having already hosted four LGBT events and was intended to “finance costs incurred by the Cleveland Synergy Foundation” associated with bringing the Gay Games to Cleveland. Does this change in leadership invalidate this grant? Can someone from the LGBT community in Cleveland or from CSF please shed some light on what is really happening here? There has to be more to this story and no one seems to be asking the right questions to the right people.
You have to wonder how the FGG is ever going to achieve their goal of one quadrennial event in 2018 when there is such non-transparency going on with all of their recent actions regarding Cleveland. Perhaps we should all look to the Outgames instead for the future of the gay sports movement.
on Aug 6th, 2010 at 6:34 AM
swiminbuff wrote: “The FGG board seems to be its own worst enemy, its internal disputes resulted in the fracturing of the gay sports movement, and seems to learn nothing from past experience.
Maybe they should suspend the games until they have a chance to do an total critical analysis of the problems (perhaps by outside consultants) and a total reorg of the board.”
===
– The FGG -did- hire consultants and underwent a reorganization in 2004-07. It is functioning much more efficiently now and has engaged an increased membership base.
– The LGBT sports world was not fractured by FGG internal disputes, but rather some disagreed with the sports & culture focus of the Gay Games and sought to dilute sports with more conferences and parties. But the FGG has stuck to what the wishes have been of past participants (as gathered in a post Sydney Gay Games survey) and not spent resources o subsidize conference academics that can be used to bring in more athletes. Some of those who disagreed with that sports focus have found an outlet in the WOGs, but that is happening externally, not internally.
on Aug 6th, 2010 at 11:53 AM
Guys let’s not jump to judgment until we know all the facts. I’m sure this was a momentous decision by the Federation and not one they took lightly. Let’s all rally together to keep the games on track and hopefully reconcile with the Out Games.
By the way I’m writing from Cologne where I’m competing and believe they have been the best-organized and most gracious hosts ever. No small detail has been left unturned and there are thousands of volunteers everywhere you turn, making things perfect. I for one am very grateful to the Federation for making this happen and the entire Cologne host committee and volunteers for an experience of a lifetime. Thank you all!
-RG
on Aug 8th, 2010 at 5:50 AM
Hi from Vancouver,
Well you can add Rowing to the list (cycling, track and field, triathlon mentioned on this post, I’ve also heard tennis and others) of events in Chicago which were a disaster. In the end they gave out the wrong medals to the wrong people and didn’t follow their own rules – this in a regatta with less than 50 participants. The whole thing was a gong show and there wasn’t anybody who seemed to care.
Cologne didn’t offer rowing this year, which is too bad as there is a strong tradition in Germany and a regatta there would likely have been well attended.
More relevant though I’d like to comment on the survey used to determine the direction of FGG. The question about scope of the games was totally biased as were other questions. Same old guard captaining the ship, and not at all a trust building experience for outsiders.
When people Gay or straight ask about the split and why there’s a Gay Games and an Outgames, as a one time Montrealer who’s also spent time first hand with FGG Board members I put it this way: “basically a bunch of control freak, type A, Nationalist Quebecers couldn’t get along with a bunch of control freak, type A, Imperialist Americans! Oh yeah, and this was all right when the Iraq war and Maher Arar rendition outrage were at their peak”.
This generally brings howls of laughter and knowing sentiments.
Americans and others reading this may want to Google Arar, as Canadians will likely remember that while he was on his USA sponsored torture holiday in Syria his college professor wife was on the national news nightly asking our Federal Government to take action and protect the rights of a Canadian citizen.
Oh and Cleveland… where’s Cleveland? Talk about a poor choice … sure having the Games in Cleveland will do much to advance the cause of equality in the immediate area. But that could be said about any mid-sized city anywhere in the world, the question for me is will anyone go? Does anyone care? I can’t say I’m any more impressed with Antwerp though as a destination (and I’ve been there), but GLISA didn’t have any other viable bidders while the FGG had more interesting choices.
Can anyone really see a joint event in 2018?
on Aug 8th, 2010 at 5:53 AM
Oh and I don’t mean to imply that all American’s are Imperialist or all Quebecers are Nationalist, just that the people who get involved with these “community” events tend to have big egos. Our Pride Society here in Vancouver (which coordinates the parade and promotion of other pride events) is a textbook case of dysfunction.
on Aug 8th, 2010 at 12:27 PM
Will people stop it with that “Beauty Queen” analogy? Not everything is about, or like, beauty contests. If a senator can’t finish his term, does the state he represents simply make do without representation?
Cleveland was not a beauty-contest winner; it was selected as a destination for the Gay Games in purposely and unapologetically subjective manner for reasons much more profound than what was last year’s “in” gay destination, or what city got the best marks for evening gown wearing.
on Aug 8th, 2010 at 2:24 PM
All organizations which put on regular events rotating around a circuit of locations have the same structural problem – reinventing the wheel each time to involve local participation and support. A partial solution can be found in constituent groups who put on competitions, like the heroic Gene Dermody. A permanent committee carrying over from Games to Games might also be useful insofar as as a sport by sport group doesn’t exist already de facto.
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 5:04 AM
Evan,
I agree that the “Beauty Queen” analogy is not perfect. But neither is your comparison to this being a state political contest as there was a Runner-Up chosen in case the winner is incapable of meeting their obligations. If you prefer to look at politics, look at the entire senate. If a senator from Ohio has to stand down or resign as the Majority Leader, the position is not given automatically to the other senator from Ohio. This is more like winning a Gold Medal. If the gold medalist is disqualified due to irregularities, then 2nd place is awarded the prize. Whether or not that even matters remains to be seen.
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Just competed in Cologne last week. Wonderful town, wonderful people, wonderful location. Plus I won three medals in swimming…but IGLA knows what it’s doing.
I’m going to give Cleveland a chance. I’m a native of Miami….Miami was founded by Clevelanders.
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