JOBURG TO BID FOR 2014 GAY GAMES

With only two weeks to go before the 2006 Chicago Gay Games kick off, Joburg has announced its intention, in principle, to bid for the 2014 event, at a meeting on Wednesday.

Representatives from Gauteng Tourism, the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC), TOGS, Team Johannesburg and members of the failed Joburg 2010 Gay Games Bid met to decide whether or not to proceed with a new bid.

Interestingly, the meeting was called by the JTC – and held at its offices – in order to canvas the gay community on whether it would once again put its weight behind the effort.

It was noted that that the city’s 2010 bid scored very highly at its final presentation last year to the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), especially with regard to the city’s venues and strong government support. (Johannesburg was the runner up, with Cologne winning the right to host the next games).

It was agreed at the meeting that the experience gained in the bidding process, and the investments made by the city, should be put to good use. The proposed Joburg 2014 bid has already received support from Cape Town’s tourism authorities.

The next step in the process is to undertake viability studies and a cost analysis of the bid by the JTC over the next few months before a final decision is made.

The 2014 host city will be decided by the FGG in 2009 – a year before the much anticipated soccer World Cup is hosted in South Africa.