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Montréal 2006 flies to EuroGames Utrecht 2005

Montréal, 13 June 2005 – “Montréal 2006 will have an active presence during the EuroGames in Utrecht in the Netherlands from 16 to 20 June 2005,” Mark Tewksbury, Olympic medalist and Co-President of the 1st World Outgames, announced today. “To highlight the importance of this major European LGBT sport and cultural event, we will be offering residents of Europe, including Russia, a special discount of 10% off the regular registration fee for the 1st World Outgames.”

INTERNATIONAL AND FESTIVE

With already more than 5,000 participants registered from 86 different countries, the 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006 is 24% ahead of the numbers for the Sydney games in 2002 during the comparable period, with 14 months to go before the event. Currently, the most popular sports are swimming, volleyball, track and field, Dancesport (competitive ballroom dancing), marathon, triathlon, badminton and bridge.

The breakdown of the continental representation of registrants is as follows: North America, 38%, Europe 36%, Australia 17%, South America 5%, Asia 3% and Africa 1%. The gender breakdown so far shows 39% female participation. Almost one hundred teams have registered for various sports.

Some 400 people have registered for the cultural programme and 250 have registered for the International Conference on LGBT rights. The internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil has confirmed their presence for performances during the Opening ceremonies on Saturday, 29 July 2006 at Montréal’s Olympic Stadium.

“From 26 July to 5 August,” said Mark Tewksbury, “Montréal will be a veritable whirlwind of sport and cultural activities. The 16,000 Outgames participants, cheered on by some 250,000 visitors to our beautiful city, can expect an unforgettable week of sports and festivities.”

EUROGAMES UTRECHT 2005

Montréal 2006 will be sending a large delegation to Utrecht, presided by Co-President Mark Tewksbury, as will GLISA (Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association), led by its Co-Presidents Catherine Meade and Thomas Dolan. They will also be accompanied by two teams from Équipe Montréal, one volleyball and one badminton, led by Équipe Montréal president Daniel Vaudrin.

During the EuroGames, from 16 to 19 June, Montréal 2006 and GLISA will have an on-site booth and, with the support of the Canadian Embassy in the Netherlands and the Délégation générale du Québec for Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), they will be inviting leaders of European sports teams to a VIP cocktail on Friday, 17 June. The 1st World Outgames booth at the EuroGames will also offer information on travel packages available from Montréal 2006’s Official Travel Partners in Europe: Dakota Voyages for the French and Belgium market; Man Around for the UK, Italian and Spanish markets; QAS/Special Traffic for the Dutch market; and CRD International North America Travelhouse, for the German market.

“The EuroGames in Utrecht,” said Mark Tewksbury, “will be the last major LGBT event in Europe before the Montréal Outgames in 2006. That’s why it is so important for us to be there, given the incredible support we’ve received from European athletes and teams who have told us that they will be coming to Montréal next summer in great numbers. In fact, if European registration for the Outgames continues at its present rate, the Outgames will have the largest number of European participants of any event held outside of Europe.”

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