Founded in 1982, the Gay Games was created by Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell to provide LGBTQ+ athletes a chance to compete in sports without discrimination and to foster a sense of community with athletes worldwide.  The first Gay Games, held in San Francisco, attracted over 1,200 athletes from a dozen different countries and featured a wide range of sporting events including soccer, cycling, and track & field.

After stops in New York, Amsterdam, and Sydney, the Gay Games, held every four years like the Olympic Games, came to Ohio in 2014.  Officially dubbed the Gay Games IX Sports & Cultural Festival, the eight-day event (August 9^th-16^th) featured an estimated 8,000 athletes competing in various sporting events throughout the Cleveland and Akron areas.  During the competition, over 40,000 fans watched as LBGTQ+ athletes from around the world competed in nearly forty sports – everything from basketball at Cleveland State University to sailing on Lake Erie to rodeo at the Summit County Fairgrounds.

The Games’ Opening Ceremonies, held at downtown Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, closed with a surprise video message from then-President Barack Obama who applauded the courage of competing athletes, especially those hailing from countries that discriminate against human rights.