Hong Kong makes final shortlist to host 2022 ‘gay Olympics’
Successful bid could mean estimated HK$1 billion economic boost from giant international sport and cultural event
Hong Kong is to join Guadalajara in Mexico and Washington DC in the United States in contesting for the right to host the “gay Olympics” after making the final shortlist for the 2022 event.
Ahead of the announcement in November, a delegation from the Federation of Gay Games, the guardians of the quadrennial sports and cultural festival, will arrive in May to conduct a site visit to assess Hong Kong’s feasibility as a host city.
In the autumn, the bid team will head to Paris, hosts of the 2018 games, to make its final pitch in front of the federation’s delegates.
Organisers hope that bringing the games to Hong Kong will challenge the stigma and cultural barriers faced by LGBT groups across the region. Their case is strengthened by the fact that no Asian city has hosted the games since their inception in 1982.
“Hong Kong is the perfect city to represent Asia,” Dennis Philipse, co-chair of the Hong Kong bid team, said. “Asia is home to an estimated 221 million LGBT+ people, but also where there is an ongoing struggle to overcome homophobia and gain acceptance.”
The bid has received backing from the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Tourism Board and father of Lan Kwai Fong and entrepreneur Allan Zeman.