The 8th International g*y Games in Full Flow in Cologne
While the world struggles to accept them with open arms, they continue on working towards social acceptance by taking part in their own games, which is the equivalent of the Olympics for them.
g*y and L*****n athletes from some 70 countries from all over the world were part of the g*y Games organized to promote healthy completion and bring athletes from all over the world at one platform.
The venue for the Games has been carefully chosen, as the city of Cologne is known as the unofficial g*y capital of the country.
This year, the 8th international g*y Games are taking place, and the last edition of the event was staged in the American city of Chicago four years ago.
The sporting extravaganza is set to last for eight days. According to the organizers, the g*y Games were founded in 1981 and take place every four years, just like the Olympic Games.
A spokesman of the Games explained the reason for organizing a separate event for g**s and lesbians: "The goal of the g*y Games is to draw attention to homosexuals, both male and female, who want to show through athletics that we demand respect for our way of living."
According to the spokesman, the Games are a way of telling the world that homosexuals have a place in every sphere of life including sports and to “point out that g**s and lesbians not only exist in Western Europe, the United States or Canada, but all over the world."
Most of the participants were overjoyed with their efforts and felt that the Games gave them an opportunity of interacting with other athletes in the world, and spread the message of peace, love, and above all, respect for every one.
They claim that the motive is not to win laurels and make a name for themselves, but to let the world know that homosexuals, both male and female, deserve to be given their rights.
They also claim that it is their birthright to be given their due rights, and they want years of acrimony and hatred to end.
An athlete who did exceedingly well on the first day of the Games is Alexandre Lacombe.
The 23 year old won gold in the 1,500 metre sprint, besides winning a silver medal in the high jumping event.
According to the Frenchman, who hails from Montpellier, the motive for his participation was to make an impression amongst his peers; yet competing for glory alone is not the real motive for him.
He said that he was there "to meet Germans, talk to them and mingle with athletes from other countries. It's really great."
"It's nicer here and more fun because people are not so concerned about results. It's a more familiar atmosphere and there is no excessive competition," said the young athlete, adding that "other competitions are more negative and the goal is the result."
On the other hand, a local athlete who scooped a gold medal in the high jump event claimed that the competition was aimed at promoting the case of homosexual athletes: "Here it doesn't only count being part of a group, in my case track and field but it also combines the open g*y and L*****n or bisexual life and it allows us to deal with it in a much more relaxed way."
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