Let The (Gay) Games Begin!

The first time I ever went to Germany was to Cologne - and believe it or not I drove there for a long weekend! Actually it's not as crazy as it sounds when you realise that it's actually closer to London than Edinburgh as the crow flies, and once through the Chunnel, you can speed along on blissfully empty continental motorways.

This was also pre Euro-zone (showing my age again!) so Francs, both French and Belgian, Dutch Guilders and Deutschmarks were essential. When you include the good old British Pound that was five currencies and five countries in just 500 kilometres; thank heavens for the Euro!

As it turns out Cologne was a great city to start my introduction to Germany and that first visit has inspired many return trips to the country, which has become a favourite destination of mine. There are plenty of reasons why Cologne should be high on the list for LGBT travellers - the city prides itself on being the most liberal city in Germany, which unsurprisingly has helped foster a large and visible gay scene to rival even Berlin - tick!

It's also the media capital of Germany, and we all know what those 'meedja' types are like, right? Arty, artistic individuals who just couldn't exist in a city without a healthy quota of designer brand boutiques, funky nightspots, cool eateries, art galleries and a vibrant café culture with frapochinos on tap, and yes you've guessed it, Cologne has all of these in abundance - tick!

Since bagging Europride in 2002, on the back of an annual Pride event that attracts a staggering 1 million people each year (That's the same number of people as the entire population of the city by the way) Cologne has firmly staked its claim as an international and cosmopolitan homo-hotspot too - tick!

And - from the 31 July to 7 August Cologne is also hosting the Gay Games, the largest sporting and cultural jamboree on the planet. With 10,000 sporty guys and gals from 70 countries (plus thousands of spectators) arriving in Cologne for a week of competition, partying and celebrations, Cologne is about to go off even more than usual - tick, tick , tick!

Right, it's about time I got on a flight to Cologne then - you didn't really think I was going to drive again, did you?!? Thank you Lufthansa.

The first thing that you'll notice on approaching Cologne is the cathedral, the most recognisable landmark in the city. As mightily impressive this huge Gothic church is, Cologne's largest erection will have to wait until another time, the Games beckon.

As it turns out you don't have to be Sporty Spice to get a kick from the Gay Games, and arrival in the centre of town proves it. A series of stages has been set up in various locations throughout the city that make up the Gay Games Village, which are hosting a series of free concerts and events.

I'm lucky enough to catch a sing-a-long performance of the Sound of Music hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on my first visit, what luck! A quick glance at the programme shows everything from daily yoga sessions to choral and rock concerts, bodybuilding, various lectures and there's even guided tours of the cathedral too I notice.

The stages are the main gathering points for visitors to the Games and there are plenty of people, of all shapes, sizes, colours and sexualities milling around. During the evenings open-air dance parties have also been scheduled in the villages at Neumarkt and Rudolfplatz, I earmark both on my city map for a return visit later.

My visit is unfortunately only taking in the first weekend of the games, so I'll miss out on climax of the weeks events, the closing ceremony and parties planned for the last weekend. That doesn't mean that there isn't plenty going on right now though and the opening ceremony is about to kick start proceedings.

The venue, Cologne's impressive RheinEnergieStadion makes a suitably grand arena for the spectacular and most of the 35,000 spectators have already arrived as I waltz up at 7pm. There's a great atmosphere already which peaks as the competitors enter the stadium to hear the athletes oath, which is presented by Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham no less!

It's a moving moment and one that really emphasises the spirit of the games. Queer athletes can compete, and win at every level of sport. Cue the start of the party as hundreds of performers, drummers, dancers, acrobats and fire breathers turn out a fantastically choreographed show, complete with fireworks and music from Agnes and Taylor Dayne.

As shows go this is pretty high-octane stuff and very impressive too, but this is just the start of the evenings entertainment and the opening party at the Laxness Arena turns out to be just as inspiring a production. As large dance parties go this is top notch with five floors of dancing, shows and music with Tony Moran and Steven Redant spinning the tunes.

Proceedings have a distinctly sporty theme, and instead of drag queens and go-go boys, lean and lithe sports men and women throw themselves around the podiums striking impossibly elastic poses in skin tight Lycra that leaves little to the imagination - who'd have thought clubbing could be so healthy (and titillating!)

As the next day dawns, which is around mid-day for me I feel like I have just run the half marathon, which incidentally is scheduled for the last day of the Games. Perhaps I should have started my training regime of staying up all night dancing and drinking a little earlier. Thankfully I don't have to compete and so only have to drag my stiff limbs and sore head to spectate.

This is the first day of competition and there's a choice of sports to watch from basketball and bodybuilding to softball, swimming and water polo. I plump for the diving, hoping that the competitors have taken inspiration from our Olympic patron, Mr. Mitcham.

The venue for the diving is at the Sportpark Muengersdorf situated 5km from the centre of the city. This sports complex is also home to the German Sport University, another impressive venue that the city of Cologne has given the Gay Games access to.

The diving certainly is astonishing to watch, but the emphasis is on taking part and there is a real range of ages and abilities on show. There's a huge amount of support for everyone taking part and the atmosphere is fun and the overall feeling is one of encouragement.

I do hope that Cologne keeps on hosting these large international gay events, the city certainly can organise them excellently. I'm certainly not going to wait another 8 years until the next one for a return visit though, that's for sure.


Visit GayGermany.co.uk - the official gay and lesbian site of the German National Tourist Office Videos are at YouTube.com/MyGayGermany
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