Munich is in the last round of applications for the Gay Games 2026. The colorful mass sports festival would attract up to 20,000 guests from all over the world.
It could become one of the biggest sports festivals that Munich has experienced in the past few years. The Bavarian capital is applying for the Gay Games 2026. This is the world’s largest popular sports event, “which is mainly, but not exclusively, aimed at LGBTQ athletes,” says the application’s homepage. LGBTQ is short for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender). In addition to Munich, Guadalajara in Mexico and Valencia in Spain have made it to the last round.
Munich presents itself on 300 pages for the Gay Games 2026
All three cities recently submitted the second, more extensive version of their bidbooks to the Federation of Gay Games. Munich presents itself there on 300 pages. The decision on the host will be made by the hundred voting delegates in November Hongkong. There the three cities have to present themselves again, before a delegation visits the competition venues in person.
Munich’s greatest asset is the Olympic Park, says Beppo Brem. He is on the application organization team and also sits on the city council for the Greens. The short distances on the premises of the Olympic Games 1972 and the Olympic Park as an ensemble are unique. Around 10,000 athletes from all over the world would come and compete in a total of 37 sports. “With all the supervisors and companions, we would then have 15,000 to 20,000 people. Then there are the spectators. Then something is going on, ”says Brem. In 2004, Munich hosted the smaller European version of EuroGames with around 5000 participants.
Next year the Gay Games will take place in Hong Kong
Like the Olympic Games, the Gay Games take place every four years. The next host will be Hong Kong in 2022 and Paris in 2018. The idea for the Munich application also arose in France. “We were guests there and thought: We can do that too, maybe even better. So we spun around and that’s where the idea came about, ”remembers Brem.
Apart from the four-year cycle, the Gay Games have little in common with the Olympics. In their sporty character, they are more similar to the German gymnastics festival. “We are an amateur and popular sports event,” says Brem. “Whereby it is the case in some sports that the level is very high.” As a rule, anyone can take part. There is no preselection or qualification. The sports would be organized professionally and in accordance with the rules.
In addition to the advantages of the Olympic Park, Brem in Munich sees the local support as an argument in favor of an award. “The local community and the city are very much behind the application. We received 155 letters of support. Among them, to my greatest surprise, is even one from Mr Seehofer and Mr Söder. Now that it’s about the money, everyone is rather buttoned up, but the support is still unbelievable. “
The budget of the Gay Games is ten million euros
The budget is around ten million euros. About half comes from the participants, who each have to pay $ 200 to participate. The other half would have to come from the public purse. But in the medium term this is a sensible investment, says Brem. The Department for Labor and Economics in Munich calculated that the Gay Games would bring the city an economic added value of around 65 million euros. This includes, for example, the overnight stays of guests from all over the world.
But the disadvantages are also undisputed. After Cologne 2010, Munich would be the second German and fourth European city to host Gay Games. “Guadalajara is our main competitor,” says Brem. The Gay Games have never been in Latin America. But: “We still have a good chance. We can offer good organization and good financing. “
The city council expects the Gay Games to have a positive impact on society when it comes to dealing with homosexuals. “Because people can see that they aren’t walking around with cotton balls. The more you can see in concrete terms that basketball doesn’t look any different from other basketball players, the more you notice how stupid these prejudices actually are. ”He had the feeling that a rethinking is taking place in sport too. “Of course, Thomas Hitzlsperger triggered something. Alone that he can be sports director of Stuttgart after his outing. That is a step towards normality. ”It was also a good sign that all sports associations took part immediately when they were asked by the organizers.
Where to start is in the clubs. Brem: “I don’t think there is any active discrimination. But what is already happening is that you are not prepared. Our hope that hundreds of professional footballers will now come out as gay is completely naive. Because they probably don’t even exist because they gave up before. They say for themselves that they don’t fit into this system. “
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