by Paul Olsen

      Mark McFadden doesn’t normally practice beach volleyball on Ste. Catherine Street in Montreal. But on Labor Day weekend he did. That’s because Montreal’s Gay Village hosted sports demonstrations and an ambitious fundraising campaign in preparation for the city’s Gay Games VII events in 2006.
      Closed between Amherst and Papineau streets, Ste. Catherine Street came alive with a variety of sports events. Lesbians played hockey, gay men wrestled and played badminton, and McFadden and his team played volleyball on a sand-filled court. For non-athletes, an outdoor tea dance was held in front of the Beaudry Metro Station and visitors were encouraged to try a mechanical bull outside of Stock Bar, a popular male strip club.
      Cosponsored by °quipe Montreal, the Village Merchants and Professionals Association, and the Quebec Gay Chamber of Commerce, contributions solicited throughout the weekend benefited the Montreal 2006 Gay Games Organizing Committee. Dubbed the “bronze” weekend, the event met its fundraising goal of $100,000 (CAD) when 500 people paid $200 each to attend a black tie gala earlier in the week. Gay Games organizers plan to hold “silver” and “gold” Labor Day weekend events in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
      McFadden, a member of Montreal’s Lambda Boys volleyball team, says the bronze weekend marks just the beginning of the city’s planning for the 2006 Gay Games. “The first thing that is taking place is the setting up of steering committees for each of the sports that will do the preparation work,” he told OITM. “The biggest thing is to determine the sites and the facilities to make sure they are all up to expectations.”
      In addition to planning, McFadden and his teammates need to practice and raise money. “On an individual player level, each player will pay the registration for the Gay Games whether they are from Montreal, Sydney, or from Paris,” he said. “So everyone has to make a financial commitment.”
      According to Louise Roy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal 2006 Gay Games, events like the bronze weekend will be held regularly to educate the public. “This weekend is to prepare the Montrealers and the [gay] Village to work together to make the Gay Games a very big successful event,” she told OITM. “And it is for fundraising.”
      Roy anticipates needing approximately $20 million (CAD) to run the 2006 Gay Games in Montreal. “We prepared three [financial] scenarios —pessimistic, realistic, and optimistic,” she said. “But we are still optimistic. We can do a very good Games for between $16 and $20 million [CAD].” On behalf of Montreal’s Gay Games VII Organizing Committee, Louise Roy invited OITM readers to Montreal in 2006. “Montreal was working for the Gay Games for eight years,” she said. “This was our second candidacy. For North Americans, Montreal is going to be a good destination for gay tourists. The Gay Games will be a premiere tourist and sports event coinciding with Gay Pride [DiversCite]. It will be a very big amazing party in Montreal.”
      Montreal’s Gay Games will be held from July 29 to August 5, 2006 and will feature more than 30 sporting events and exhibitions.

Paul Olsen also writes for In Newsweekly.