EuroGames

The EuroGames are an LGBT+ multi-sport event in Europe, licensed by the EGLSF (European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation) to a local city host each year and organised (most often) by one or more of the federation's member clubs. Similar to the Gay Games, EuroGames are a sports-for-all event, open for participation irrespective of sex, age, sexual identity or physical ability. Additionally it often included less prominent non-olympic sports and disciplines catering to interest of LGBT+ communities like same-sex ballroom dance, line dance, cheerleading, aerobics, bodybuilding as well synchronised/artistic swimming with male participants, which was historically forbidden.

In terms of scale EuroGames range from 1,5 to cca 4 thousand (or exceptionally more) participants primarily from the West and South of Europe but also elsewhere (often Asian and American diasporic communities), most often with extra outreach support subsidies for less privileged participants.^[1]^[2]

The EuroGames is most often a long weekend event with opening ceremonies, some of the sport, social and cultural activities (as side program) also happening on the days before.

History

The official name of the EuroGames is the European Gay and Lesbian Multi-Sports Championships. It is a Dutch initiative inspired by GayGames, first organized in The Hague in 1992.^[3]

The EuroGames are a multi-day sporting event. They are organized annually in a European city, except in years when the global Gay Games take place. Since the advent of the World Outgames in 2006, this has been taken into account in determining whether or not a city is assigned to a particular year. In a year in which Gay Games and/or World Outgames take place, EuroGames generally do not take place.

Like the Gay Games as well as the World Outgames, the EuroGames are open to everyone regardless of gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. When a competitive sport has not yet reached the maximum number of participants, participants from non-European countries are also admitted.

Since 2001, the EuroGames have existed in two versions: the big EuroGames and the small EuroGames. It was planned that these small Games would have a maximum of 1,500 participants and seven sports and would last two days. The "small" EuroGames Utrecht 2005 were an exception to this. Almost 3,000 participants, nine competition sports and three competition days made Utrecht, as the smallest organizing city until then, have the largest 'small' Games compared to Hannover and Copenhagen in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

EuroGames 2023 in Bern, Switzerland

LGBT flags in Bern center during EuroGames and Pride

Jasmine Imbogen, co-president of EuroGames 2023

The 2023 EuroGames took place in Bern from 26 to 29 July 2023. 20 sporting disciplines and over 2,000 athletes of various sexual orientations and gender identities participated in the event.^[4] The sporting event included new demonstration sports like Quidditch and local recreation like hiking.^[5] Classic disciplines included tennis and bowling, but other disciplines such as street workout, the Hyrox challenge, quidditch and many other activities were scheduled.^[6]

Co-presidents of EGLSF, Sarah Townsend, and Hugh Torrance with the mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried, brandishing the towns EuroGames 2023 trophee at the opening ceremony

The centre of the old town was decorated with 250 LGBT flags. for the occasion The city of Bern has had to deactivate its Twitter comment function following homophobic comments, notably from the Swiss Young SVP party. The youth branch of the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland has indicated that they are considering filing a complaint.^[3]

EuroGames 2023 guests impacted Bern to have big Village and night program (Q.U.M. stage) — EuroGames Village, night Pride program (Q.U.M. stage)

EuroGames 2023 Bern medals — EuroGames 2023 medals

Jasmine Imboden and Greg Zwygart co-president the 2023 EuroGames association.^[7] According to Greg Zwygart, the EuroGames is an inclusive sport event, also for heterosexual athletes. The event includes trans and intersex people even though these categories of people are not present in some sport disciplines.^[7]

EuroGames 2023 hosting impacted Bern Pride to have exceptionally big Village and elaborate multi-day and multi-vanue program mostly with local talent and few guests.^[8]

Chronology

EuroGames Lyon in 2025

On Twitter, Julie Nublat-Faure [fr], deputy mayor in charge of sports, announced that the 2025 EuroGames would be held in Lyon from 23 to 26 July. This is the first time the city has hosted a European sports competition dedicated to the LGBT+ community^[9] This 22nd edition^[9] plans to bring together some 4,000 athletes from over 40 countries in Europe and around the world,^[9] who will compete along the banks of the Saône and Rhône rivers in over thirty sporting disciplines, including tennis, football, rugby, synchronised swimming, pétanque, sailing, dance and choral singing. Participation in this sporting competition is made possible thanks to the support of fifteen clubs affiliated to the OS.L^[10]

The LGBT+ Sports Federation also pointed out that this event offers the opportunity "to exchange ideas and raise awareness among participants and spectators around themes such as LBGT+ handisport, the fight against serophobia, and notions of gender and sexual orientation".^[10]

Table of EuroGames edition

Edition	Year	Location	Country	Participants	Countries	Sports	Note	Other bidders
1	1992	The Hague	Netherlands	300	5	4
2	1993	The Hague	Netherlands	540	8	6
3	1995	Frankfurt	Germany	2,000	13
4	1996	Berlin	Germany	3,247	18	17
5	1997	Paris	France	2,000	18	17		Brussels, Zürich
–	1999	Manchester	United Kingdom	0	0	0	Cancelled	Cologne
6	2000	Zürich	Switzerland	4,500		19		Hamburg
7	2001	Hanover	Germany	1,500		7	Small EuroGames
8	2003	Copenhagen	Denmark	2,200		7	Small EuroGames
9	2004	Munich	Germany	5,050	38	27		Vienna
10	2005	Utrecht	Netherlands	2,855	44	9	Small EuroGames
11	2007	Antwerp	Belgium	3,650	38	11+1	Small EuroGames
12	2008	Barcelona	Spain	>5,000	40	25
13	2011	Rotterdam	Netherlands	>3,000		26
14	2012	Budapest	Hungary
15	2015	Stockholm	Sweden	4,465	71	28	Big EuroGames
16	2016	Helsinki	Finland	1,400	40	14	EuroGames
17	2019	Rome	Italy
–	2020	Düsseldorf	Germany				Cancelled
18	2021	Copenhagen/Malmö	Denmark/ Sweden	2,000		22
19	2022	Nijmegen	Netherlands	>2,000		17
20	2023	Bern	Switzerland	>2,000	75	20
21	2024	Vienna	Austria	3988		31
22	2025	Lyon	France
23	2027	Cardiff	United Kingdom					Munich^[11]