By Lucille Davie
THE JOHANNESBURG bid proposal for the 2010 Gay Games is to be submitted on 15 March 2005, and the bid company is working flat-out to finalise the minutiae of the bid.
A Section 21 company, the Gay Games VIII Johannesburg Bidding Committee, was formed to make the bid, and James Mathias, one of the board directors, says there is a number of factors the board is hoping will win Johannesburg the games.
"The bid is for South Africa, not just Johannesburg. The city will not look the same in 2010, with the infrastructure in place for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. South Africa's constitution is the first [in the world] to recognise the rights of gays. And lastly, previous games have lost control of the budget, we will be sticking to the core costs."
Mathias says the other bid cities, Cologne and Paris (Berlin has dropped out of the race), will not be able to compete with the low costs of facilities such as the Ellis Park swimming pool, the cost of employing security guards or the low cost of hotel rooms, compared with those in Europe. "The budget is designed to win the games," he says.
Letters of endorsement have been received from the City of Johannesburg, Southern Sun Hotels, the City of Cape Town, the Treatment Action Campaign, Judge Edwin Cameron, Cape Town Pride, The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project and Cape Town Tourism.
Mayor Amos Masondo said in his support letter: "We welcome the opportunity to host the Gay Games VIII and hope that Johannesburg is awarded the hosting rights. And we are committed to supporting the organising committee in ensuring that the games are a success and look forward to winning the bid."
KPMG, the auditing firm, has been brought on board to work out the budget, and it calculates that a surplus of about $500 000 (almost R3-million) will be achieved, with R100-million as financial spin-off benefits to the city.
The Gay Games began in 1982 in San Francisco; South Africa participated for the first time in 1994 in New York, when 14 athletes entered the stadium carrying the new South African flag, to a standing ovation from 25 000 people. In 2002 more than 50 South Africans travelled to Sydney to compete in the sixth Gay Games. The next games take place in Chicago in 2006.
Athletes do not have to be professional to enter, the only restriction is a minimum age of 18. The games will take place over eight days, whereafter the athletes will travel to Cape Town to participate in cultural activities like choir festivals and costume parties.
Events will take place in Johannesburg at a range of venues, including the Ellis Park sports stadium, the Randburg sports complex, the Royal Johannesburg Golf Course, the Hector Norris Park, Cresta Shopping Centre (10-pin bowling) and the Eldorado Park soccer club.
Cultural activities will also take place in Joburg. Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown will be converted into an Ubuntu Village, with beach volleyball, wine tasting and craft activities. There will also be a band festival, a cheerleader competition and a rainbow run, a memorial run to commemorate people who have died of Aids and breast cancer.
"We will be turning Newtown pink," adds Mathias. Former sporting champions will be offering their support - those already committed are Hlongiwe Buthelezi, who won seven medals at the Sydney Gay Games, former rugby player Francois Pienaar and golfer Ernie Els.
Although Cape Town is seen as the gay capital of the country, it has happily endorsed Johannesburg as the games venue, knowing it will get visitors once they have finished the sports events. The closing festival is planned for Cape Town.
Plans include charging South African athletes half price and securing sponsorships and scholarships for African athletes. There are 22 core sports at the games and the host city is free to include eight additional sports. It is likely that cricket, rugby, bowls and field hockey will be added if South Africa wins the games.
Participants will be asked to donate their equipment afterwards to local disadvantaged communities. They will also be required to pay a $10 carbon levy fee (caused by the pollution created by their planes landing at the airport), which will be used to plant trees in Soweto and other townships.
After the bid has been submitted next week, site inspections will take place in July, August and September, and the final decision will be taken in November. The games are likely to be held in October 2010.
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