Gay and lesbian athletes compete at Gay Games VII
Gene Hendricks, of Chicago, Illinois, poses during the Physique (bodybuilding) competition 40-49 year old age group heavyweight division at McGaw Memorial Hall/Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois during the Gay Games VII competition on July 19, 2006.
Hendricks finished third in the standard category of his division.
Over 12,000 gay and lesbian athletes from 60 countries are in Chicago competing in 30 sports during the Games from July 15 through 22, 2006.
Over 50,000 athletes have competed in the quadrennial Games since they were founded by Dr. Tom Wadell, a 1968 Olympic decathlete, and a group of friends in San Francisco in 1982, with the goal of using athletics to promote community building and social change.
The Gay Games resemble the Olympics in structure, but the spirit is one of inclusion, rather than exclusivity. There are no qualifying events or minimum or maximum requirements.
The Games have been held in Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), and Sydney (2002).
- Filename
- GayGames-038.JPG
- Copyright
- Angela Jimenez/WPN
- Image Size
- 2592x3872 / 4.3MB
- Contained in galleries
- 2006-07-Gay Games Chicago