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8,000 Participants Now Committed
to 2006 Gay Games in Chicago
Some sports nearing registration capacity as Gay Games reaches
past two-thirds of participant forecast six months before opening day

CHICAGO, IL – Chicago organizers of the 2006 Gay Games announced today that they now have more than 8,000 participants from more than 30 countries committed to attending the 7th Gay Games,15-22 July 2006.

“Year-end campaigns designed to increase the number of registrations in team sports were wildly successful and the pace hasn’t slowed much since January 1,” said Brian McGuinness, Gay Games executive director. “Our registration rates to date are ahead of expectations and we may exceed our forecast of 12,000 participating athletes and artists in Chicago next July.”

McGuinness added that several sports are close to full registration and will close in coming weeks.

One sport – Sailing – has been closed for nearly a year. A second sport – Golf – has reached its capacity and registration will officially close by Friday, 3 February 2006.

“Golf registrants have been running ahead of projections since online registration opened in June of 2004,” said McGuinness, noting that there may be a wait list opened for Golf participants. “Capacity in Golf has already been increased once, and there are no more available tee times.”

Several team sports saw dramatic increases in registration during December, according to Nancy Harris, Gay Games sports director. She added that Ice Hockey may soon be closed to new registrants

“The 1998 and 2002 Gay Games in Amsterdam and Sydney each had 16 participating men’s and women’s Ice Hockey teams,” said Harris. “We already are past that with over 20 teams, and we are negotiating the addition of a sixth day of Ice Hockey competition to accommodate more teams.”

Harris said Ice Hockey teams should register within the next 30 days to ensure their participation.

Several other team sports have exceeded team registrations so significantly that the sports are close to their forecast totals now, six months from Gay Games VII opening day.

The message from the staff and board of the 2006 Gay Games couldn’t be clearer. “Register now,” said McGuinness. “If you wait, it might be too late to participate in your sport, division, or event.” Make the personal commitment today to attend one of the world’s most important events for our community and register now to secure your spot. We're going to have a full house come July!”

Registration is available online at www.gaygameschicago.org. Teams or groups of 5 or more can still save $25 per person on group registrations by contacting Gabrielle Ringquist via email at Gabrielle.Ringquist@GayGamesChicago.org or via phone at (773) 433-8027.

About Gay Games VII:
Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will take place in Chicago from 15-22 July 2006. Over 12,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 30 sports ranging from softball to dancesport, swimming to tennis. The weeklong event will include band, cheerleading and colour guard performances, chorus, an ancillary arts festival, and a series of community-organised social events and parties. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 15 July at Soldier Field, the lakefront home stadium of American-style football’s Chicago Bears. Closing ceremony will be 22 July at Wrigley Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, located in the heart of Chicago’s largest LGBT neighborhood.

For the first time, the Gay Games in Chicago will receive widespread television coverage on the Q Television Network. Global sponsors of Gay Games VII include PlanetOut/Gay.com; Q Television Network; Walgreens; Centaur Entertainment; Fleishman Hillard International Communications; Orbitz; Sydney New Mardi Gras; Chicago Sun-Times; Olivia Cruises & Resorts; Lambda Legal Defense; McKnight Kurland Baccelli; Human Rights Campaign; Chicago Free Press; Mate, Genre, Pink and Girlfriends Magazines; Windy City Media Group; and more than 120 business sponsors.

Registration for Gay Games VII is now open at http://www.GayGamesChicago.org (English), http://www.GayGamesChicago.org/es/ (Spanish), http://www.GayGamesChicago.org/fr/ (French), and http://www.GayGamesChicago.org/de/ (German).

About The Federation of Gay Games:
The Federation of Gay Games is the international governing body that perpetuates the quadrennial Gay Games and promotes the event's founding principles of "Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best"™. The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982 with 1,350 participants. Subsequent Gay Games were held in San Francisco (1986; 3,500 participants), Vancouver (1990; 7,300 participants), New York (1994; 12,500 participants), Amsterdam (1998; 13,000 participants), and Sydney (2002; 11,000 participants).