Rainbow flags in the Olympic Stadium, drag queens on the 50-meter track and a rainbow village along Sendlinger Straße. These images could soon become reality, namely at the Gay Games, which could be held in Munich for the first time in 2026.
So there was Supporting organization Federation of Gay Games at the beginning of the week it was announced that the Bavarian capital had made it into the last selection round and was among the three finalists for the event. So far, the Olympics have only taken place once in Germany, namely in 2010 in Cologne.
Sport, culture and a human rights conference
The eight-day international event is one of the largest popular sports events worldwide and takes place every four years. According to the Munich organization team, the competitions should include sports such as soccer and swimming, but also cheerleading, chess and e-sports.
But not only sporting competitions, but also a colorful cultural program and a human rights conference are planned. The Munich organizers write on their Facebook page: “Regardless of whether you are lesbian, gay, bi, trans, inter or straight: Together we will bring together LGBTIQ * power to stage a gigantic sports and cultural spectacle in 2026.”
[Mehr Neuigkeiten aus der queeren Welt gibt es im monatlichen Queerspiegel-Newsletter des Tagesspiegel – hier geht es zur Anmeldung.]
In a sporting world in which bisexual role models and pressure to perform still dominate, such events seem all the more important. On the one hand, they create visibility and acceptance for queer people and, on the other hand, they offer the opportunity to do sports together and measure them apart from heteronormative values.
The sponsoring organization also emphasizes that the “important principles” include participation, inclusion and the “growing beyond oneself” of all those involved. This is reflected in the conditions of participation: Team division into men and women? Should be avoided if possible.
The Gay Games are thus essentially different from international competitions such as the Olympic Games. There, athletes like Caster Semenya are forced to artificially lower their testosterone levels through drugs due to the same bisexual division – without the health consequences being clear.
Now it is to be hoped that Munich will be named the winning city in November, when the venue is to be announced. Because in this country too, queer people often experience discrimination in sport or are systematically excluded. The German sports world urgently needs such an event.
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