Fridae

Two of sports most prominent gay figures, Greg Louganis and Martina Navratilova, are supporting the effort of The Gay Games 2006 Los Angeles Bid Committee (LA BidComm) to bring the seventh Gay Games Sports & Cultural Festival to the city, according to a press release.

Actor and author Louganis is a 4-time Olympic gold diver while Navratilova is one of the tennis world's all time champions.

According to the Los Angeles Bid Committee, more than 15,000 participants and approximately 100,000 spectators would likely visit Los Angeles for the event. The Federation estimates the economic impact of the event to be over $100 million.

LA BidComm which is also being supported by several major corporations including United Airlines, Anheuser-Busch and the advertising agency of DDB Worldwide has submitted a 100-page written bid proposal in January.

Atlanta, Chicago and Montreal are also competing for the opportunity to host the 2006 Gay Games. The Federation of Gay Games, which holds the games' licensing rights, will announce a host city for 2006 later this year.

That phase of the selection process begins with a Site Visit, a tour of LA and the proposed venues for the 2006 games. The final determination of which city will win the right to host the Gay Games in 2006 comes after oral presentations at the Federation's annual meeting in October in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Gay Games, held every four years, have become one of the world's largest amateur sporting competitions. The 1998 games were held in Amsterdam and the 2002 games will take place in Sydney, Australia. The games, founded by former U.S. Olympian Tom Waddell, MD, were first held in San Francisco in 1982.

The Honorary Committee also includes, among others: photographer Herb Ritts, comedian and writer Bruce Villanch, political activists David Mixner and Nancy Cohen; attorney/activist Roberta Bennett, financial investor Jack Corwin; Greg Nimer, founder and president of 10% Productions, Ticketmaster founder Fred Rosen and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Joel Wachs.