Fridae

For the first time in 12 years, the 2006 Gay Games will return to North America, not to the United States but to the French-Canadian city of Montreal.

The Federation of Gay Games announced on Thursday that Montreal will host Gay Games VII in 2006. Three other American cities - Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles had also made their presentations at the federation's annual meeting, held in Johannesburg, South Africa this year.

"I think Montreal impressed us with the quality of their venues -- although all of the cities proposed outstanding venues -- and the open atmosphere of their city," said Roberto Mantaci, co-chair of the Federation?s site selection committee in an interview with the gay Southern Voice newspaper.

Montreal had also proposed the lowest registration fee for participants of all bidding cities, the current value of the Canadian dollar will also make the city an "affordable" place for athletes and spectators, Mantaci added.

He also denied that the recent terror attacks in the US played a role in the selection of a Canadian city to host the Gay Games.

"We all want to believe this is just a temporary situation, and in five years the situation will not be the same, so I don?t believe this factor went into the decision," he said.
According to the paper, the bid group already had confirmations for about US$3 million in government and corporate sponsorships for the games themselves, not just the bidding process.

The 2002 Gay Games in Sydney are scheduled for November 2-9, 2002 while the 2006 Gay Games will take place July 29 - August 5 in Montreal.