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31 mainstream Québec, Canadian and international sport federations provide sanctions for the 1^st World Outgames Montréal 2006

31 mainstream Québec, Canadian and international sport federations have agreed to sanction events in the 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006, a first in the history of an LGBT sport event.

Here is the list of the 32 sanctioned sports:

* The Outgames are part of their calendar

Choral Festival

Registrations for the Choral Festival continued to pour in during the promotion. The following are new registrations obtained during the fall promotion.

• Montréal’s Ensemble vocal Extravaganza has almost doubled their numbers, going from 40 to 72 registered
• The Mélo’men chorus of Paris has registered 22 participants
• The Chœur Gai de Montréal (Montréal Gay Men’s Chorus) has registered 41 participants.
• The Ganymède Chorus of Montréal has registered 16 participants
• The Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus has registered 48 participants
• The Colla Voce Chorus of San Francisco has registered 11 participants
• The Gay Asian-Pacific Alliance Men’s Chorus has registered 12 participants

Promotional Video!

Club Bolo, the Montréal Country Western demonstration dance club, has prepared a video inviting Country Western dance clubs around the world to joint them in making the Country Western programme of the Outgames a bigger success. You can watch the video by clicking on the link below:

Country Western Dance
Representatives of Montréal 2006 and Club Bolo attended the IAGLCWDC (International Association of Gay & Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs) semi-annual convention in San Francisco on 21, 22 and 23 October. The weekend was expertly organised and the Outgames team would like to extend its congratulations to the Sundance Association for hosting a superb event. Montréal 2006 had the opportunity to present a detailed report to the convention delegates on the latest developments in the organization of the Outgames’ Country Western programme.

The 1^st World Outgames tours Europe

The CEO of Montréal 2006, Ms. Louise Roy, visited a number of European cities, including Paris, Cologne and Copenhagen, during a fall tour. Among other meetings organized, she met with representatives of Paris tourism and sports groups. Many LGBT organisations in these cities expressed their apprehensions regarding the delivery of Gay Games in Chicago in 2006.

“I received a warm welcome in Paris from the Cabinet du Tourisme and discussed their involvement in LGBT sport. As well, a cocktail was held with French sports teams at the Délégation générale du Québec. The delegation of athletes that France will be sending to Montréal next summer will be the largest ever in the country’s history to attend LGBT games,” said Ms. Roy.

Louise Roy and her team found that work was well underway in preparation for the 2nd Outgames in 2009, with a team already in place to lay the foundations. The local LGBT community is very enthusiastic about the spin-off benefits of Montréal 2006’s success.

UK Launch Party in London a success!

The 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006 were in London at the end of October for their UK Launch Party, held in collaboration with Bent Magazine and the ManAround Group. More than 200 people came together at the Shadow Lounge in London, including many members of the local LGBT media.

“Bent Magazine wishes the 1st World Outgames in Montréal 2006 our full support. The organisers have taken the initiative to stage an extraordinary event that will bring gay men and women together in a way that has not been done before. See you in Montréal in 2006!” added Chris Amos, Publisher of Bent Magazine.

The Outgames featured at the Rainbow Attitude Expo in Paris!

The Outgames were featured at the Rainbow Attitude Expo in Paris, which was held from 21 to 24 October, in the Tourisme Québec and Tourisme Montréal booths. Representatives of Québec travel agencies met with many potential participants in the 1st World Outgames in Montréal next summer.

News from GLISA
Since concluding its Delegate Congress in early September, GLISA's six standing committees have now been appointed and are pursuing their various action plans. These Committees are Membership Services, Communications, Governance and Planning, Sport Technical, Host Relations and Finance.

The Sport Technical Committee has a mandate to ensure quality and integrity in the delivery of Outgames sport programs, through liaisons with mainstream sport organizations, LGBT sport organizations, host cities and other partners. The Committee is chaired by Cathy Sellers, Manager of Coaching for the United States Olympic Committee and also includes Karin Lofstrom (Executive Director of CAAWS), Steven Houben (sport leader from Antwerp, Belgium), Debbie Storrs (Executive Board member, IAGLCWDC) and Michel Langelier (1st World Outgames Sports Director).

The Committee’s early work has focused on reviewing all event sanctioning, as well as setting up two 'expert advisory' groups to advise GLISA on policies for drug-testing and transgender/transitioned athletes. We are pleased to report that activist Kristen Worley, a Canadian female athlete who has competed at the national and international levels in waterskiing and cycling, and who has been successful in being reinstated by her sport federations as a female competitor, will lend her expertise to the transgender/transitioned athletes group.

On a different topic, GLISA and the Gay and Lesbian Athletes Association have been invited to co-facilitate a workshop and discussion group on homophobia in varsity sports at the University of Guelph. This workshop is being organized as part of the University's Queer Identities Week and is supported by the Athletic Department.

New volunteer recruitment programme:

CLUB 1 VOLUNTEER PER MONTH
(1VPM)

The 1BPM/1VPM CLUB was officially launched on 1 November.

The Outgames organisers invite you to join the 1BPM/1VPM CLUB - the elite club of one volunteer per month recruiters. A series of social activities will be set up especially for 1BPM/1VPM Club members to meet each other. The recruiters will organise contests and recruitment blitzes with symbolic prizes for the winners (Gold, Silver, Bronze medals, and a trophy for overall performance).

The goal of the 1BPM/1VPM CLUB is to add energy to recruitment, and to form bonds of friendship and team spirit between the members.

If you want to join the 1BPM/1VPM CLUB, contact the team by email at: club_1bpm_1vpm@montreal2006.org

Book your room online now!

Welcome to Tourisme Montréal's Housing Bureau! You'll find everything you need on this site to make your room reservation for the Outgames.

It's fast and user-friend. Click here >>

Montréal is a city that really loves to celebrate. Take advantage of your stay to discover our many attractions, events, restaurants and boutiques - and take home unforgettable memories!