GAMES DOWN UNDER
11.14.02
MEMO MENOS
|
|
GAY GAMES VI concluded from Sydney, Australia on Saturday November 9, 2002,and while it wasn’t the world party that was GAY GAMES V in Amsterdam, it was a rousing, impressive gathering and display of the variety and strength of gay life and culture. Sydney put on a great show, from the Opening Ceremonies where some 15,000 athletes marched triumphantly into the cricket stadium adjacent to the FoX Studios complex, where the parties were held.
The highlight of the procession was Pakistan and India entering the stadium together, arms waiving and grins beaming. GAY GAMES can really have an effect on world politics, if only in this symbolic way. Tolerance extends beyond sexual preference. Another notable entrance was YASIR SAMIR representing the country of Iraq. He was entered in the Touch Rugby and Volleyball competitions. He had some interesting things to say to Americans. For the full text of our interview, click here.
Team San Francisco led the athletes onto the field in an impressive display. They nearly covered the filed. The United States amounted to one third of the athletes, with Australia nearly equaling that amount. There was a strong showing from Pacific Island nations, Indonesia, the Philippines, Tonga and Samoa.
k.d.lang serenaded the audience with an emotional WALK ON sung while the crowd waved lit candles in the darkened stadium. She then did OUR DAY WILL COME, and was rewarded with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY sung by the appreciative 40,000 fans. JIMMY SOMMERVILLE performed a lavish field number of SMALL TOWN BOY as hundreds of dancers dressed in prison garb and wrestling with chains fled the guns and searchlights of gunner trucks throughout the venue. IGNATIUS JONES, known for his choreography of similar large-scale events, put together an impressive show, which culminated with a giant volcanic explosion, again with the support of hundreds of dancers on the field.
The games were somewhat hampered by the heat and the distance necessary to get to some of the venues. Sydney has great public transportation, but a fan that wanted to see all of the events really had to work it. Trains, buses and ferries were all required to get around to the events. And the spring in New South Wales, the start of the notorious fire season in Sydney didn’t help matters. On the day of the soccer final, temperatures reached into the 90’s.
The weather was warm to hot for the entire week, and this may have detracted from the ambience of the games, as many opted for one of the many beaches which ring the Sydney harbor and not to distant ocean. World renowned Bondi Beach is just a 15-minute bus ride from downtown Sydney, and Manly Beach is a 25-minute ferry ride. We managed to get around to a number of other beaches, including Obelisk Beach, which in addition to being a gay, and legal nude beach, is one of the most idealic settings you can imagine.
Basketball saw the emergence of some real talent at these games, with a New York/Los Angeles (actually Long Beach but whose splitting hairs?) rivalry making for some great spectator sport. The teams squared off Thursday, each with perfect 8-0 records, with the New York team winning by 2 points. The teams were rematched in the gold medal game with Long Beach winning. The competition included a 7-footer for Team Amsterdam.
Volleyball saw competition among hundreds of teams. And Swimming saw the fall of hundreds of Gay Games records. Of all the events, the swimming venue, located at the Aquatic Center in Olympic Park was perhaps the most festive, with the culmination, a swim party featuring synchronized swimming exhibitions, campy drag performances and live music, all following the water polo final. It was something!
Sports competitions went forward in 29 different events, as well as chess and bridge. A cultural festival began a week before the games and ran concurrently through November 10th.
All in all, it was a great week in a great city. The people of Sydney were very much hospitable hosts, with more than a passing interest in the events of the games. More than once we were engaged by people on their way to work, who wanted to know about the competition and if we were enjoying our stay. Tickets to the events, including the Opening ceremonies and the parties were advertised to the general public, and were available for sale on Ticketek, the equivalent of Ticketmaster. There were long ques at each of the locations we observed.
It’s troubling to me, as a member of the press, how shabbily media was treated. We were first not going to be allowed to film any of the sporting events, pending licensing rights by a major broadcast company. Apparently they pulled out, so we were going to be allowed access if we purchased tickets. This eventually evolved into our being allowed access to nearly everything, except the Opening Ceremonies and the parties. Most of the media brought their cameras to the Opening, but we were given seating so far from the filed as to make our shots meaningless.
The absurdity of this policy becomes clear when you realize that spectators and competitors were not similarly restricted from bringing cameras wherever they pleased, effectively diminishing the role of the press. As it was, I didn’t see any local coverage of the games on Australian television, and I’d be surprised if any broadcast media covered much of the week, with the possible exception of New Zealand, which surprisingly has a much more evolved media. They have a broadcast show called QUEER NATION, and they had a professional crew of 9 people covering the events.
Some day gay promoters will see the light regarding press and media. The Gay Games are not just about granting licenses so that private corporations and the organizing committee can recoup profits. There is also a place for legitimate media organizations whose role is to get the images out to the world. There were many moments of competitive spirit, of team unity and participation, of world brotherhood, and of perseverance and accomplishment that the gay community, and the world at large would benefit from seeing. Gay life is so much more than freak parades and circuit parties. Why are we keeping it such a secret?
Gay Games VII takes place in 2006, in Montreal. Don’t miss it!
|
|
|
