Hong Kong to co-host Gay Games with Mexico

Organisers of the Gay Games announced on Monday that it will split next year’s events, and let Mexico host some events that were originally going to be staged in Hong Kong.

They said the decision to let Hong Kong and the city of Guadalajara co-host the games was due to “challenges posted by the pandemic”.

Lisa Lam, one of the co-chairs of Gay Games Hong Kong, said she hopes this will allow more participants to take part.

“We can see challenges brought on by Covid have continued, and it is still a bit unclear as to when international travel to Hong Kong will be possible,” she noted.

“If we have a co-host and we work together, then [it] doesn’t really matter how the international travel situation unfolds, we will still be able to have the event and this way can really meet our aim of making the event as inclusive as possible,” Lam said.

It will be the first time the events are held in Asia and Latin America, since the Gay Games was first held in San Francisco in 1982, and Lam said she’s very proud to be part of the team.

“I think it’s actually a very great message. In the 40-year history, this is the first time the Gay Games [are] brought to these two continents,” she said.

“Now it’s even more meaningful to have it in Latin America as well and [we are] really proud to be able to do that with our partner in Mexico. It could really lift up the [LGBTQ] community in Latin America, not just in Mexico,” Lam added.

The nine-day sports and cultural event is scheduled to take place in November 2023.