The inaugural Asia Pacific Outgames will be held in Melbourne, Australia from Jan 30 to Feb 3 next year.

Organisers say multi-sport tournaments (including badminton, dancesport, field hockey, lawn bowls, rowing, run, swimming, ten pin bowling, tennis, volleyball and water polo), a cultural component and a 2-day human rights conference has been planned.

The sports event will coincide with the non-profit annual Midsumma Festival which is expected to feature over 100 events over 21 days comprising visual art, theatre, cabaret, spoken word, literature, music, parties, community forums and sport.

The deal was inked in February this year between Melbourne Outgames Inc. and the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA) which organised the first Outgames held in the Canadian city of Montreal last year.

The organising body for the Outgames has also announced that it has secured the world-class Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC), as one of the major venue hubs for the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames.

While the World Outgames and Sydney's Gay Games attracted about 15,000 competitors, Melbourne Outgames organisers expect about 1,500 competitors from Australia and the region including New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.

The Conference Organising Committee is seeking expressions of interest from individuals and/or organisations from across the Asia Pacific region with an interest in presenting at Day Two of the Rainbow Conversation Conference.

Exact schedule details are not yet available but registration for the 1st Asia Pacific Outgames, Melbourne 2008 is to commence in August 2007 and regular updates will be available on www.melbourneoutgames.org.