• Early Registration Begins 1 June 2004
• A Global Think Tank on the Future of GLBT Sports
• Sports, Sports and More Sports!
• An Agreement with GALA Choruses
• A Major Private Sponsor
• International Conference on Gay & Lesbian Rights
• Please Use Our Logo!

Registrations for Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006 Games must be done on an individual basis, even if you are part of a sports team, choir or band. Register through our user-friendly website at www.montreal2006.info. If you cannot access the Internet, please write to us and we will send you a Registration Form by mail.

Three good reasons for you to register early!

• A guaranteed place in your event
• A discount on the regular registration fee
• A chance to win a pair of Air Canada tickets (conditions apply - see our website)

Registration includes:

• Participation and a seat at the Opening Ceremony
• Participation and a seat at the Closing Ceremony
• One event (sport or culture)
• A participation medal
• Eight days of friendship, fun and discoveries!
  

The Club Montréal 2006 was launched 5 November 2003 with more than 1,300 people registered to date.

Those who registered between 5 November 2003 to 1 February 2004, 23:59 (GMT-05:00) were eligible for the draw of a pair of tickets valid for travel in 2004 to/from Montréal from/to anywhere in the world onboard Air Canada.

The winner is from Illinois, USA.

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

Click here to become a member!

About twenty people from three different continents and from the world of GLBT sports and mainstream sports were in Montréal from 16 to 18 January 2004, to discuss the future of GLBT sports. Here is what came out of that meeting:

"As an international group that collectively represents a vast range of experiences in both the lesbian/gay and mainstream sports worlds, we recognize the evolution that has occurred in the lesbian and gay sporting movement. We agree to the following:

• We support the creation of an inclusive, globally recognized and integrated gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered association that celebrates, supports and promotes our culture through sports;
• We will develop a worldwide events calendar of continuous sports opportunities for participants;
• We support the values of innovation/pioneering, accessibility, trust and fairness, as reflected in the association's governance, management and programs;
• We will work to build this association on a business model that is financially sustainable, in order to create a legacy and enhance the abilities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender sporting communities worldwide."

Three working groups have been formed on Governance, Marketing/Financing and Building sport. These working groups will in early spring, present their recommendations to a much wider assembly of representatives of the GLBT sports organizations for input and consultation.

Four participants have accepted to become spokespersons for the Think Tank group.

USA: Brian Todd execdir@glrf.info
Europe: Tatjana Eggeling teggeli@gwdg.de
Oceania: Geoffrey Lyne geoff_lyne@hotmail.com
Canada: Thomas Dolan tkd@telus.net

The following individuals participated in the Think Tank representing themselves while bringing a vast ranges of experiences for the discussion.

• Conny Schälicke, Founder of lesbian sports club in Berlin; Board Member of EGLSF (European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation - representing over over 100 organizations and sport groups in Europe) since 1996; Co-President of EGLSF since 2002.
• Catherine Sellers, Has worked for 8 years with USA Track & Field Coaching Education, Elite Development and currently works with the United States Olympic Committee.
• Thomas Dolan, Organizer of gay sports in Vancouver and former President of Team Vancouver; involved in football and track and field.
• Tatjana Eggeling, Doctor of European Ethnology at Humboldt University in Berlin; currently researching 'Homosexuals Playing Sports'; delegate for Team Berlin.
• Elyse Grenier, Coordinator of Hockey Quebec, treasurer for EGAL Action, an organization for the advancement of women in sports; President of the FPLCC, a union for workers and employees in sports, cultural and community organizations.
• Daniel Vaudrin, Active in volleyball; currently President of Équipe Montréal.
• Brian Todd, Active in rowing; currently Executive Director of the Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation.
• Robert Kastl, Active organizer and founder of gay organizations in Berlin; currently Executive Director of Berlin 2010.
• Geoffrey Lyne, Founder of gay rowing teams and the Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation; currently Board member of Team Sydney.
• Pierre Rajotte, Active in the sport of swimming; currently President of A-Contre-Courant.
• David McConkey, Long-time involvement in distance running (marathons); currently a Canadian delegate to the International Front Runners.
• Drew Foisy, Founder of business providing services to gay sports; active in swimming; involved with the Gay and Lesbian Pro Sports Association.
• Ole Usdolt, Sports organizer in Copenhagen; currently a Board Member of the European Gay and Lesbian Federation.
• Pat Hogan, Active in Ballroom Dancing; currently Co-President of Team Vancouver.
• Bradley Erickson, Active in swimming and figure skating; Co-President of International Gay Figure Skating Association.
• Catherine Meade, Active in women's sports in Toronto; currently a Board Member of Women4Women Ontario.
• Christian West, Team New York President.
• Mark Tewksbury, Olympic Champion; former IOC Commissioner for 8 years and Canadian Olympic Committee member; currently Co-President of Montréal 2006.
• Josée Généreux, Former National Team cyclist; founder of mountain biking organizations in the province of Quebec since 1984; mountain biking Technical Director at the Québec Federation for 8 years; currently Sports Director at Montréal 2006.

The management of Montréal 2006 is pursuing numerous planning and organizing activities by holding two other planning committee meetings, bringing together all the volunteers who will provide support to athletes during the Games. Three new employees have taken their positions with Montréal 2006: two sports coordinators and one person in charge of developing Outreach Programs. The approval process for all Federations is progressing well, as is the finalization of sporting competition formats.

Early Registration begins 1 June 2004.

Rowing

Josée Généreux, our Sports Director, has reached an agreement with the American GLRF (Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation) and together they will determine the format for competitions. These competitions will be held in the prestigious Olympic Basin on Île Sainte-Hélène.

International Front Runners

A meeting was also held with the International Front Runners and the collaboration is going very well.

Figure Skating

Montréal 2006 has come to an agreement with the IGFSU (International Gay Figure Skating Union) for future collaboration to the programming and organisation of this sport.

Team New York

During a meeting between Christian West, Team New York President and his associates Mark Tewksbury, Montréal 2006 Co-President and Josée Généreux, our Sports Director, Team New York pledged its support for Montréal 2006. Team New York represents a potential of 1,500 athletes coming to the Montréal Games.

In a letter sent by Team New York, the President Christian West said: "Team New York will actively promote Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006".

International Gay & Lesbian Athletics Conference

This highly regarded conference will be held in Boston from March 26 to 28, 2004. Montréal 2006 will be present as a participant and exhibitor.

A world tour

This month, Mark Tewksbury continues the world tour to promote Montréal 2006 that began in Europe (Berlin, Paris, Brussels) last November and December. He will have the opportunity to meet with at least one hundred sports teams and will begin the next leg of the tour in the United States.

Montréal 2006 and GALA Choruses, the world's most prominent Association of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender choral singers, has signed a memorandum of understanding to present a major cultural event during the 2006 Games in Montréal. Under the leadership of a national board of directors, GALA Choruses is based in Washington D.C., with a membership of nearly 200 choruses and 10,000 singers. Member choruses are located throughout North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia. Montrealers will get a sample of GALA Choruses' Festival performances this summer when more than 5,000 singers take the stage as part of the VIIe Festival International GALA Choruses Montréal 2004, from 17 to 24 July.

On 18 February, Montréal 2006 will announce the signing of an agreement with a new corporate sponsor. It will represent a major sponsorship agreement.

About 2,000 participants are expected at the Conference, which will take place two days before the opening of the Montréal Games. Participants will then have the opportunity to take part in other sporting and cultural events planned for the Montréal 2006 programme.

The Scientific Committee for this conference, which will be in charge of developing the conference program, is being finalized and already includes several distinguished personalities:

• Dr. Robert Wintemute, professor at the School of Law at King's College in London, England, and a leading scholar in the area of minority rights. He will be acting as an international advisor for the Conference.
• Ms. Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, former Canadian Supreme Court judge

• Justice Edwin Cameron, South African High Court judge
• Ms. Joke Swiebel, Member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Labor Party, Chair of the EP Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights
• Mr. Kurshad Karamanoglu, Secretary-General of ILGA-World
• Mr. Pierre Marois, President of the Québec Human Rights Commission
• Ms. Tatjana Eggeling, ethnologist at the University of Berlin
• Ms. Line Chamberland, professor and eminent researcher (Canada)

All associations, teams and sports clubs are welcomed to use our logo on their web site, by copy/pasting our logo ont the right (180X136) and by creating a link to the Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006 site. If you would also like to include our countdown to the Games clock please contact us at media@montreal2006.org. You are also more than welcome to use our animated banner below on your web site.

Air Canada, Arrondissement de Ville-Marie, BBCM Foundation, Équipe Montréal, Hotel Association of Greater Montréal, Montréal Sports International Corporation, Palais des congrès de Montréal, Québec Gay Chamber of Commerce, Régie des installations olympiques, Tourisme Montréal and the Village Merchands and Professionals Association.