Adelaide’s global reputation as a sporting mecca continues to soar with the city’s LGBTQIA+ Feast Festival officially entering the running to host the highly lucrative 2030 Gay Games – and it’s got the backing of one of sport’s biggest stars – Adelaide United player, Josh Cavallo.
Feast Festival, in cooperation with the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) and the SA Government, have entered the selection process for Adelaide to be considered as the host city.
Cavallo, a star midfielder and proud gay man, said Adelaide’s reputation as a world class sporting city and place of inclusion would reach new heights if the bid for the 2030 Gay Games is successful.
“This is a sporting city and it’s an inclusive city and the idea of having such a huge event, that throws Adelaide onto the world’s stage, is incredibly exciting,” he said.
“Hosting the Gay Games in Adelaide wouldn’t just be a win for the LGBTQIA+ community – it would also be a win for everyone, because sport is for everyone – regardless of gender, sexuality, race or religion,” he said.
Feast Festival CEO Tish Naughton said the Gay Games – which have previously been hosted in cities including Paris, Hong Kong and Sydney – would provide a huge economic benefit to the South Australian economy, while boosting the city’s reputation as a destination that celebrates diversity and inclusion.
“Hosting the Gay games would put Adelaide on the map as one of the world’s leading cities of inclusion and bring in over 10,000 participants across a range of sports – not to mention the huge numbers of tourists with spectators jetting in from across the nation and the world,” she said
Tish said the Gay Games were open to people of all genders and sexualities. “The Gay games are for everyone – you don’t have to be queer to participate – and that really signifies that at the heart of this phenomenal, week-long event, is a deep sense of inclusion for all,” said Tish.
“Feast is incredibly excited to have entered the selection process to host the 2030 Gay Games in Adelaide, with the cooperation of the South Australian Tourism Commission and the SA Government and , if successful, there are huge drawcards from this, both from a social perspective and an economic one.”
Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said the South Australian Government supports the Bid. “It would be fantastic to host the Gay Games here in Adelaide. I congratulate Feast Festival on their work to bring this exciting event to South Australia,” said Ms Michaels.
Adelaide is one of 10 cities across the globe that have entered the selection process to host the 2030 Gay Games, that includes Auckland, Cape Town, Denver, Edmonton, Frankfurt, Melbourne, Perth, Taipei and Vancouver.
These ten cities will be invited to present their bids at the FGG Annual General Assembly in Washington DC in October 2024. Three finalists will be announced in December 2024. The 2026 Gay Games will be hosted in Valencia, Spain. For more information about the Gay Games, visit: www.gaygames.org
The 2024 Feast Festival runs 9 – 24 November. For more information, visit: www.feast.org.au for details.
Image: Josh Cavallo (supplied)