GLRF attends 2004 annual meeting of the Federation of Gay Games

The 2004 Annual Meeting of the Federation of Gay Games was in a word, unremarkable. No major decisions were made. No significant departures or arrivals of new organizational directors were observed. The Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance was readmitted after a 10 year absence. The International Figure Skating Union was readmitted after a 2 year absence. The London-based city organization, Out For Sport was admitted. Three more positions were created on the Executive Committee, which acts as the core action group throughout the year. The newly created positions had an inadvertent effect on the organizational director delegates. As soon as you are elected to the Executive Committee, you lose your status as an organizational director and become an individual director. So as soon as the meeting ended, about six organizational director positions were vacant, and left to be filled by other members of each organization. In a volunteer organization, giving up two working representatives to an outside group is difficult.

The Chicago Gay Games organizers gave their progress report and kicked off their partner program. It looks like everything is on track. No word or update on the progress of organizing the Chicago Gay Games Regatta .. yet.

The big controversy leading up to the annual meeting was the “Town Hall” meeting organized to discuss the possibility of a reconciliation between the Federation of Gay Games and the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association, and the ongoing division that the two simultaneous 2006 multi-sport events have created. The meeting invitations would permit non delegate participation. Some imagined a room full of 200 or more. Instead, it was just the same room full of delegates and about 15 additional visitors, debating the two sides of the issue and expressing their feelings about the division and the two organizations.

Finally, Maloney & Fox and Kyle Ozier gave an outstanding presentation on nonprofit structural organization and fundraising. The 2005 Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago.

The highlight of the week was a visit to the FISA Class A rowing stadium just outside of Cologne, Fuehlinger See, and a 12km row along the Rhine River in a 3-man touring boat with Hans and friend. Truly wonderful.