The event drew almost 1,500 participants. It was originally called the Gay Olympic Games, but proving Waddell’s point, the Olympics forced him and the event to remove the word “Olympics,” which led to some posters for the event having black tape covering “Olympics” in the days and weeks leading up to the event. Waddell was tired of the anti-gay attitude he felt from some of the most powerful people in sports, so he wanted to create an event where gay people felt welcome. In 1982, former Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell and various volunteers hosted the first Gay Games in San Francisco. It is a multi-sport event featuring thousands of athletes from dozens of countries. They occur every year the Winter Olympics are held. The Gay Games are a quadrennial (every four years) event, just like the Olympics. Gay Games 10 kicks off this Saturday in Paris with an Opening Ceremony and Opening Party that are sure to energize the entire city for the event.
