The 1^st World Outgames launch the Circle of Women
for International Women's Day

Montréal, 7 March 2006 – To mark International Women's Day, the Organising Committee of the 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006 launched today the Outgames “Circle of Women”. The goal of the Circle is to promote greater participation by women by encouraging female athletes and teams to register for the various Outgames sport activities and by creating a programme that addresses the interests and expectations of women participants. During previous games, women represented only 30% of registered participants.

The Circle of Women is currently composed of women working within the Outgames in a variety of capacities, ranging from competition directors to coaches and officials. These women have taken on the challenge of making the 1st World Outgames a milestone for women’s participation in sport, with a goal of having women participants represent a record 40% of overall registrations.

“On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Outgames are proud to promote our ongoing mission of increasing the participation of women to the highest level ever for an international event combining human rights and sport,” said Louise Roy, CEO of Montréal 2006.

The Circle of Women will now be part of the 1st World Outgames Circle of Excellence, whose members include, among others, Martina Navratilova, Mark Tewksbury, Nancy Drolet, Myriam Lafranchise, Canadian billiards Champion, Robert Dover, Olympic equestrian sports champion from the U.S., Holly Metcalf, American Olympic rowing champion, and Brian Orser, Canadian Olympic figure skating champion.

The 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006 will continue to build on the momentum it has already created, and the number of registered participants and countries represented bodes well for the Outgames’ success. The International Conference on LGBT Human Rights, which will be held just before the opening of the Outgames sport programme, will bring together 2,000 delegates and numerous respected speakers from around the world.

Major partners have teamed up with the Outgames to ensure the success of the event, including the Governments of Canada and of Québec, the City of Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, Labatt, Bell Canada, Air Canada and Via Rail. Opening and Closing ceremonies with the Cirque du Soleil are currently in the planning stages and the full ceremonies programme will be unveiled soon.

For the first time in the history of LGBT sport, the 1st World Outgames will be televised on Canada’s national public broadcaster, Radio-Canada, during prime time.

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