The forth-coming annual general meeting of the 2002 Gay Games will see major changes to the Board. It is rumored that up to seven new appointments will be made to the board with the resignation of co-chairs Collette Steer and Gary Cox becoming effective. Further resignations have been announced by founding co-chairs Tom Seddon and Cathy Verry, seeing all the original bid-players no longer playing an active role on the board.

It is believed the positions will be filled by former Mardi Gras president Bev Lange and a team of supporters, including the acting CEO of the AIDS Council of NSW Stevie Clayton. Lange originally put her name forward for to the board in January after being approached by Clayton.

"When I heard that the Games were in some difficulties I spoke to Bev and a range of other people and we put ourselves forward," she said. But according to Clayton the board of 2002 "didn't want to take us on at the time."

Paul Long, secretary of Team Sydney (the sole shareholders of the 2002 Gay Games Ltd) was quoted in the Sydney Star Observer this week as saying the resignations of Steer, Cox, Seddon and Verry were "voluntary."

However official statements from both Cox and Seddon assert that they and the others felt that their hands were tied and had been forced out.

It is known that the 2002 Gay Games board has been confronted by significant cash flow problems in recent months as a result of the failure of the current board to secure government and corporate cash sponsorship.

The current board shake-up poses a greater threat to this problem, with one major sponsor and a number of community supporters making it clear that they are displeased with further changes to the board after a number of new appointments being made as recently as last month.

A spokesperson for the South Sydney Council said the council was "dismayed" that such disruptive changes were being made without consultation with major stakeholders.

"We made our sponsorship arrangements with 2002 because of our confidence in the existing board and if the story about major changes is true we will be seeking an immediate meeting with 2002 and demanding an explanation and some reassurance" the spokesperson went on to explain.

The 2002 Gay Games Ltd AGM will be held next Tuesday May 15, 2001. It is believed more information about the future of the Games and the who's who of the board will be confirmed then.