A
breakaway
organization
promoting
an
international
gay
and
lesbian
sports
competition
in
Montreal
in
July
2006
called
Out
Games
has
registered
more
athletes
and
teams
than
its
rival
Gay
Games
event,
which
is
set
to
take
place
in
Chicago
two
weeks
earlier.
But
supporters
of
both
events
say
it’s
too
soon
to
determine
which
one
will
draw
the
most
participants
and
spectators
as
both
sides
wage
an
aggressive
campaign
to
sign
up
paid
registrants.
The
two
sides
are
pushing
their
campaigns
through
upscale
Web
sites
accessible
in
several
languages.
Elected
officials
and
business
leaders
in
both
cities
have
joined
the
gay
organizers
to
help
promote
the
two
events
in
an
unprecedented
effort
to
lure
millions
of
gay
tourist
dollars
to
their
hometowns.
At
first,
many
gay
sports
enthusiasts
predicted
the
two
competing
events
would
lead
to
a
financial
disaster
for
both
and
would
dilute
and
split
apart
what
had
become
a
unified
quadrennial
gay
event.
Now,
some
are
wondering
whether
the
competition
triggered
an
unprecedented
professionalism
and
such
an
overwhelming
desire
to
come
out
ahead
of
the
other
that
both
events
might
turn
out
better
than
past
Gay
Games
—
both
in
attendance
and
the
financial
bottom
line.
As
of
this
week,
officials
with
Out
Games
announced
that
5,600
participants
registered
and
paid
in
full
or
in
part
to
compete
in
the
Montreal
games,
including
at
least
1,500
Americans.
Gay
Games
officials
said
about
3,000
participants
who
paid
their
registration
fees
in
full
signed
up
to
participate
in
the
Chicago
events.
Both
sides
said
the
participants
who
signed
up
come
from
more
than
20
countries,
with
most
expected
to
come
from
North
America.
Each
side
predicts
at
least
12,000
participants
will
attend
their
respective
events.
The
two
sides
are
also
competing
to
line
up
gay
choruses
and
bands
from
Europe
and
North
America.
In
recent
years,
the
Gay
Games
evolved
into
a
cultural
festival
as
well
as
an
athletic
event,
with
extravaganza
performances
by
choruses,
bands
and
top-name
entertainers
taking
place
at
stadiums
where
the
opening
and
closing
ceremonies
are
held.
Eddie
Towson,
president
of
the
Atlanta
Gay
Sports
Alliance,
said
the
group
is
currently
in
a
partnership
with
the
Gay
Games,
and
will
soon
enter
a
partnership
with
Out
Games.
“I
think
it’s
a
shame
that
we
had
to
go
through
this
and
divide
up
the
overall
gay
games
to
the
two
different
events,
but
at
the
same
time
it
does
allow
a
great
opportunity
for
more
athletes
to
participate,
being
it
the
Chicago
or
Montreal
games,”
he
said.
Towson
said
the
Alliance
will
coordinate
efforts
to
send
athletes
to
both
sporting
events.
Ken
Pedraza,
who
serves
on
the
Alliance
board
and
is
president
of
the
Hotlanta
Soccer
Association,
said
he
suspects
most
Atlanta
teams,
including
the
soccer
association,
will
attend
the
Gay
Games
since
it
is
part
of
the
Federation
of
Gay
Games
and
will
be
held
in
the
U.S.
Pedraza,
like
many
gay
athletic
leaders,
is
critical
of
the
split.
“It
lessens
the
level
of
competition,”
Pedraza
said.
“It’s
the
opposite
of
the
whole
camaraderie
thing.
If
you’re
trying
to
bring
the
whole
gay
community
together,
why
is
there
a
divide?”
Mark
Davis,
Hotlanta
Volleyball
Association
tournament
director,
said
the
individual
teams
that
comprise
the
volleyball
association
will
make
decisions
on
which
events
to
attend.
Both
the
local
association
and
its
governing
body,
the
North
American
Gay
Volleyball
Association,
chose
to
remain
neutral
in
the
matter.
Davis’
team,
the
Atlanta
Sharks,
will
attend
the
Gay
Games,
but
at
least
one
other
team
is
going
to
Montreal,
he
said.
“I
think
the
split
is
very
unfortunate
and
will
definitely
cause
a
lower
turnout
at
each
event,”
Davis
said.
“In
the
future,
it
would
be
nice
if
these
two
organizations
could
work
together
to
better
schedule
their
events
in
separate
years,
but
unfortunately,
I
do
not
see
this
happening
as
one
was
bred
out
of
hostility
towards
the
other.”
Francois
du
Plessis,
president
of
the
Atlanta
Rainbow
Trout,
said
although
a
water
polo
team
opted
for
the
Gay
Games,
most
other
swimmers
plan
to
investigate
facilities
at
both
events
before
deciding.
“You’re
splitting
the
community
in
two,”
du
Plessis
said.
“What
you’re
doing
is
reducing
competition
at
both
events.
It’s
bad
for
gay
athletics
and
gay
politics
in
general.”
Atlanta
Bucks
Rugby
is
waiting
to
see
how
the
competing
events
handle
their
particular
sport
before
deciding
if
they
will
attend
as
a
team,
according
to
president
Chad
Pifer.
Kale
Wright,
president
of
the
Atlanta
Team
Tennis
Association,
...
