More than a thousand athletes gathered at a stadium in Hong Kong on Saturday for the opening of the Gay Games, an international LGBT+ sporting event being held on the Asian continent for the first time.
Originally scheduled for November 2022, the event was postponed due to the strict restrictions imposed on Hong Kong during the pandemic, which were only eased late last year.
On Saturday, colorfully dressed athletes entered the Queen Elizabeth Stadium waving their national flags and rainbow banners to cheer on the crowd.
“It’s incredible that the first Gay Games are taking place in Asia,” said Hélène Germain, a French woman who traveled to Hong Kong for the first time to take part in a canoe race.
“The goal of the Gay Games has always been to create a sporting, artistic and cultural festival that celebrates participation, inclusion and self-improvement,” said Lisa Lam, co-chair of the event.
Almost 2,400 athletes will compete in 18 categories open to both LGBT+ and heterosexuals.
“For a person like me who doesn’t identify as a man or a woman, (the Gay Games) is a really beautiful place,” Jinsun Yang, a person from South Korea, told AFP.
Holding the Gay Games in Hong Kong “is a strong testament to the diversity, inclusion and unity of our city,” said Regina Ip, president of the Hong Kong Executive Council, one of the few pro-Beijing supporters of the event.
The former semi-autonomous territory’s largest pro-Beijing party, DAB, condemned the event this week, calling it an attack on “traditional family values.”
On Saturday, some members of a religious group demonstrated against the Gay Games outside the venue.
The competition comes as Hong Kong’s highest court in September ordered authorities to create an “alternative framework” within two years that recognizes the rights of same-sex couples. However, the appeals court judges also ruled that marriage was “limited to same-sex couples.”
If this is a “partial” victory for LGBT+ rights activists, Regina Ip believes these court decisions, as well as the holding of the Gay Games, “fully demonstrate our city’s tireless commitment to protecting the rights of minorities.”
The defense of LGBT+ rights has taken a backseat in Hong Kong since Beijing passed a national security law in 2020 following massive pro-democracy protests.
Hélène Germain, also vice-president of the French LGBT+ Sports Federation, explained that certain French athletes did not want to travel to Hong Kong “due to the political situation”.
However, participants hope that the Gay Games can help combat discrimination and promote greater acceptance of the LGBT+ community.