The 10th Gay Games Wind Down In Paris Today

The beach volleyball competition at the Gay Games had more than 100 participants.
(Credit: Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA, via Shutterstock)

The New York Times reports:

The 10th Gay Games, an international sports event that bills itself as the world’s largest and “most inclusive” — anyone can participate, even straight people — will come to a close on Sunday [August 12, 2018] in Paris.

The event has grown tremendously since its kickoff in 1982 in San Francisco, where it was originally advertised as the “Gay Olympics” by its founder, Dr. Thomas F. Waddell, an Olympic decathlete. (The name was changed after the United States Olympic Committee sued, and a Supreme Court decision upheld a ban on its use.) The first tournament included 1,350 athletes in 17 sports.

See the full story and more photos here.

Participants competing in the synchronized swimming contest, in which all genders can participate on one team.
(Credit: Lucas Barioulet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)