Miami Beach, Florida, will host the World Outgames in 2017 following a vote off yesterday with the capitol of Iceland, Reykjavik.
The decision was made yesterday in Antwerp, Belgium by a committee of the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA) in the presence of Mrs Matti Bower, the Mayor of Miami Beach, and Mr Jon Gnarr, the Mayor of Reykjavik.
Mayor Bower said:
“The selection process required a lot of effort, the visit in Antwerp has been very exhilarating, and we are ready to put on an amazing event in 2017”\
Paul Burmmitt chair of GLISA’s site committee, said:
“Our members had to choose between two fabulous cities this evening. Miami Beach and Reykjavik are very different from each other but each is equally exciting in its own way,”
“By winning the 2017 World Outgames, Miami has beaten fierce and worthy competition from major cities around the world. It is wonderful that such influential cities support our endeavour of raising human rights issues through sports.
He added:
“It was a very inclusive and democratic decision-making process, with members connecting by videoconference from as far afield as Australasia, Mexico, and Tonga.”
“We are thrilled that Miami Beach and the voters are offering us the opportunity to organize the World Outgames in the United States. Miami is a particularly important place for us to be raising gay, lesbian and bisexual human rights issues because of its strong links to Latin America and the on-going political discourse within the US itself.”
The first World Outgames were held in Montreal in 2006 and attracted more than 12,000 participants. The event was based on three components: Sport, Culture and Human Rights. The second World Outgames were held in Copenhagen in 2009. The next Outgames will be held this year in Antwerp, Belgium from July 31 to August 11.
GLISA was established in 2004, and is a democratically governed, international association of sport, culture and human rights organizations that work for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Their mandate is to support and grow an international LGBT movement by organising continental associations, continental Outgames, and global World Outgames every four years.