Club Montréal 2006 is launched today, 5 November 2003, by Montréal 2006!

Become a member! It's easy and free! What's more, new members who register before 1 February 2004, 23:59 (GMT -05:00) will be eligible for a prize drawing to win airfare to or from Montréal from Air Canada, valid for regular Air Canada flights anywhere in the world.

 

Free Club Montréal 2006 Membership

Set up your own free "Club Montréal 2006" Profile and immediately start receiving the Club Montréal 2006 e-mail Newsletter, which contains exclusive promotional offers to members, latest news from the Montréal 2006 Games, and contests exclusive to members.

Express your interest and create your profile in the Club

• As a future participant or official (Judge, Coach, Team Captain or Manager)
• If you wish to offer your services as a volunteer
• If you wish to offer a room in your residence to participants or visitors as a local host
• If you are a media representative
• Or as a future visitor / tourist

Click here to become a member!

During the Sydney 2002 Gay Games VI, thousands of people filled out our Club Montréal 2006 contest cards for their chances to win a trip for two to Montréal with Air Canada. It is with great pleasure that we announce that the lucky winner lives in Surry Hills (New South Wales) Australia. Winner will be notify by email.

The winner will be able to discover Montréal in 2004! You too could be eligible for many more promotions by subscribing to Club Montréal 2006!

  Press Release:
  Partners Support the Organizing Committee of Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006

Montréal, 3 November 2003 -"A thousand days from the Games, the partners of Montréal 2006 have unanimously reiterated their support to the Organizing Committee of Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006," Ms. Lucie Duguay and Mr. Mark Tewksbury, co-presidents of the Games, announced today.

"The partners of Montréal 2006 are in full support of the Organizing Committee's commitment to hold the Games in Montréal, if they are produced according to the schedule and on the scale planned, and retain their international flavour. We are certain that the 2006 Games, with or without the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) sanction, will take place in Montréal," said the Honourable Mr. Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourism Montréal.

 

For the complete press release, please click here »» .

  Results of Snapshot Survey:
  More that 16,000 participants expected at Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006

Montréal, 28 October 2003 - Équipe Montréal represents more than 1,000 athletes in the Montréal area and is currently a member of the Federation of Gay Games, as it has been for the last ten years. In the last few weeks, sports teams from around the world have been informed about the difficulties in negotiations between Montréal 2006 and the Federation of Gay Games and the possibility that the Games may take place in Montréal without the sanction of the FGG. "Équipe Montréal hopes that an agreement between both parties is still possible. The Games must take place in Montréal as planned. In the interim, we have decided to conduct a snapshot survey of 675 gay and lesbian sports teams from all over the world," said Daniel Vaudrin. "The results speak for themselves!"

 

The snapshot poll was taken between Thursday, 24 October to Monday, 27 October 2003. Of the 675 sports teams contacted by e-mail, 140 responded to the questionnaire, giving us an unparalleled response rate of 21%.

In response to the question asking sports teams if they would participate in the event as "Rendez-vous Montréal 2006, Sports and Cultural Festival" the teams responded:

• Yes 91%
• No 2%
• Undecided 7%

The geographic profile of the respondents is as follows:

• United States 43%
• Europe 23%
• Canada 15%
• Asia/Pacific 15%
• Africa 4%

As part of the poll, we also asked teams how many members they were planning to register for the Montréal games. The answer to this question was stunning. 140 teams representing 21% of those contacted, expressed their intention to register 9,000 participants for Rendez-vous Montréal 2006. Based on this sampling, we are now confident, one thousand days away from the start of the games, that Montréal 2006 could easily exceed its objective of 16,000 registrations, and this with or without the sanction of the Federation.

The co-presidents of the two working committees of the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), the Committee in charge of members and the Committee overseeing policies and procedures, have withdrawn Équipe Montréal's rights to participate in discussions concerning the Montréal 2006 Games during the annual meeting in Chicago (10 to 14 November 2003).

 

The two co-presidents have decided to withdraw these rights because it alleges that Équipe Montréal is in a conflict of interest. This relates to the fact that Équipe Montréal released the results of a survey that it conducted and that it publicly supports Montréal 2006.

 

Équipe Montréal has categoricaly denied any conflict of interest and has demanded that the FGG restore its rights as a member no later that Tuesday, 4 November 4 at 20:00, Montréal time.

 

Équipe Montréal has been a member of the FGG for ten years and emphatically denounces this unilateral decision which it judges to be unacceptable coming from an organisation that claims to be democratic. "Before passing judgement on the actions of an individual or an organisation, it is only natural to give them the chance to respond. It's a fundamental principle of any democratic organisation," said Daniel Vaudrin, president of Équipe Montréal.

 

Équipe Montréal has had the following rights withdrawn since 30 October 2003:

• To receive any communications from the FGG concerning negotiations with Montréal 2006;
• The right to participate in communications and discussions concerning negotiations between the FGG and Montréal 2006, whether in the general session, in committee, or by intranet;
• To participate in any closed-door (in camera) session of the FGG during the annual meeting at Chicago;
• The right to vote on any point of negotiation and license contract.

As part of the Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006 Games, the Organizing Committee has proposed holding an international conference, two days before the opening of the Games, on the Rights of Gays and Lesbians.

 

During the last Gay Games in Sydney, many gay movements, including unions, held forums on rights.

 

With the support of local unions, gay and lesbian movements, Egale Canada, and the Commission des droits de la personne du Québec, the Montréal 2006 Organizing Committee has already launched an international consultations on this subject.

 

The first results are more than encouraging, from both Europe and the United States. Across a diverse network of interested supporting groups, this high-level conference could potentially bring an additional 2,000 people to Montréal.

 

The 4 main themes are:

1. The rights of gays and lesbians in sports;
2. The rights of gays and lesbians in the press;
3. The rights of gays and lesbians in the workplace;
4. The rights of gays and lesbians and the family.

 

Other discussion topics are being pursued with other groups who will further contribute to the content of the conference.

 

Ms. Michelle Courchesne, Minister of Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration du Québec has already provided, as part of their regular funding programs, a subsidy to do a feasibility study for this conference.