WASHINGTON — D.C., Guadalajara and Hong Kong are the finalists to host the 2022 Gay Games, an event that would give the District a significant economic boost.
The three cities were chosen from eight that submitted bids to host the games in December.
D.C. will receive a visit from the Federation of Gay Games in early May, with a delegation that will inspect proposed sites for Games events, evaluate the logistics and appraise the level of community support in the District to host the games.
The Gay Games Washington D.C. 2022 Bid Committee will then be invited to make a formal presentation at the Federation of Gay Games annual meeting in Paris this fall.
The games are held every four years, drawing as many as 15,000 athletes who compete in 35 different sports and eight different cultural events. The weeklong event also includes huge opening and closing ceremonies and a human rights conference.
Backers of the District’s bid for the games said it could draw as many as 100,000 spectators, with a potential economic impact of $100 million.
Among those supporting D.C.’s bid for the Gay Games are the District Council, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mayor Muriel Bowser. Honorary chairs on the D.C. bidding committee include Billie Jean King, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Other cities that bid for the 2022 Gay Games were Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver.
Paris will host the next Gay Games in 2018.
