The momentum has already begun for the 2009 world Outgames to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The director of Copenhagen’s sports program Tommy Kristoffersen is on a five-week mission to spread the good word.
How are preparations going for Copengahem 2009?
We are really excited to announce that there will be 38 different sports. As far as I know that is the largest number of sports in a tournament ever.
Will it be a ‘green games?
Copenhagen is very proud environmentally. The harbour is totally clean now, so you can swim in it. Copenhagen will host the next big climate conference at the end of 2009, and we have picked up some good ideas from the organisers here in Melbourne.
Does Copenhagen have a strong sporting history?
Copenhageners like to be active and do sport. But Copenhagen is not an Olympic city – we don’t have the facilities of Sydney or Melbourne but we have quite good leisure facilities and that’s what we need for something like the Outgames. We will have eight spots for the competition – we will divide the sports into different ‘families’. One of those complexes was the main venue for the Eurogames, which we hosted in 2003.
I hear 2009 has been dedicated as a year of sport by the Danish Government.
Yes! We will have the IOC conference in late 2009 where they will select the host city for 2016. The government and the Danish sports association worked hard to get all sorts of sports events together for 2009 including world championships, and there’ll be several European championships. So because of that we came in and said how can we combine this with ours. They said, ‘ok, this is a world event and we want to support it heavily as well’.
Will it be a financial success?
We have money from the city and the state, and Denmark has also created a fund called Branding Denmark’ after the Mohammed crisis in Denmark where there were controversial cartoons and flags were burned. We will be applying for money from this fund. There is also the Minister for Culture and that department. Also, since 2007 we have had so many partners involved.
Where are you expecting athletes to come from?
Primarily from Europe, then America and Canada and then Australia and Asia. All of 2008 will be spent promoting the event throughout these regions.
Is human rights an important issue for Copenhagen?
When we first went to the city and told them we wanted to put on a human rights conference they said ‘is that necessary’? They didn’t think we had problems here. And we might not, but there are challenges. We don’t have total equal rights, and on a worldwide basis, one third of the world still criminalises same-sex relationships and in some parts there is a death penalty. It opened the eyes of people in the government. We are also concerned about the Eastern European bloc. There are really bad conditions there in terms of human rights.
Is Copenhagen a gay city?
Every year in August we have a gay pride that will be held in combination with Outgames 2009. The biggest event ever held in Denmark was in 1996 when we held the Europride. We have several gay and lesbian bars downtown – it’s all very compact so you can easily get around and meet people. During the games we will make an area specifically for the Out City projects. We have invited eight cities to come to Copenhagen – including Melbourne – and have a display in a town square where they can do expos and show everyone what your city is like.
Have you learned anything from the Melbourne Outgames?
I’m really impressed with the way you are doing your cultural activities with Midsumma and also the Mardi Gras in Sydney. People get so involved and active and they are so enthusiastic. I hope we can put that into the games.
BREAKOUT
Melbourne’s gift
Organisers of the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames have created a perpetual reminder of the inaugural games here in Victoria with the creation of an Outgames Flag, to be known in perpetuity as the Melbourne Flag.
Designed with a rainbow motif and the logos of the OUtgames and the chief organising body, Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA), the flag will be marched in as part of the opening celebration by Melbourne represented by four community leaders from the Midsumma Festival, Queer Sports Alliance Melbourne (QSAM), ALSO Foundation and Pride March Victoria.
This is the first time a flag has been developed – the first world Outgames in Montreal, 2006 did not have one.
At the closing ceremony, on February 3 as part of Pride march, several ribbons will be attached to commemorate certain events. Dan Vaudrin, representing Equipe Montreal, will attach an orange ribbon for the Montreal Outgames 2006; Greg Larocque will attach a red ribbon for the 1st North American Outgames in Calgary, 2007; and Melbourne Outgames co-presidents Loraine Little and Peter Sagar will attach a green ribbon for the 2008 event.
The flag will then be handed to organisers of the World Outgames in Copenhagen 2009.
by CATHY ANDERSON
