Los Angeles’ LGBTIQ athletes will gather together under the umbrella of the inaugural West Hollywood Sports Festival next month. “We wanted to create an event that’s about community, about building friendships,” said Eric Gonzales, executive director of the festival, which will run September 4-6.
“There’s nothing like this being done in West Hollywood, with so many local sports, and we think the WeHo Sports Festival, in this three-day format, is a great way to bring everyone together with the same goals.”
Although LA has a lot of gay sports teams, Ray Robles, president of the Los Angeles Volleyball Organization which is the driving force behind the festival, says the teams don’t get to meet up.
Another goal of the festival is to prompt LGBTI people to get into sport.
“We want an alternative to the nightlife,” Robles said, “where guys can make friends in a healthy social environment. We’d love it if those who were on the fence about taking up a sport saw a game and thought, ‘Hey, I can do that!’”
Basketball, swimming, dodge ball, soccer, flag football, tennis, hockey, volleyball, rock climbing and water polo are all featured in the festival, which has so far enlisted some 2,000 participants.
Author Andrew Shaw
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