At the invitation of the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), the 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006 will be present at the Eurogames with an information and registration kiosk in the Rainbow Village from 29 July to 1 August. The recently founded Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association, (GLISA), will also be represented at our kiosk. Mark Tewksbury, Co-President of Montréal 2006 and three-time Olympic medalist, will lead the Canadian delegation of 8 to the Eurogames. As well, Mark Tewksbury and popular German television host Isabel Varell will co-host the opening ceremonies of the Eurogames on 29 July.

Montréal 2006 will have an information kiosk in the Rainbow Village at the Eurogames and the delegation will be making a presentation to participants on the Eurogames' main stage. Among other activities, Mark Tewksbury will be giving a conference entitled "Canada Under the Rainbow" the night before the opening of the Eurogames at Munich's prestigious Amerika Haus.

CONFERENCE EARLY REGISTRATION GOES LIVE!

Online registration for the International Conference on GLBT Rights is now open! The Conference, entitled "The Right to Be Different", will be held from 26 to 29 July 2006, right before the opening of the Outgames sport and cultural programme.

With about 2,000 participants expected, it will be the first time that a forum on this scale will be held, bringing together judges, lawyers, legal scholars, human rights advocates, specialists and concerned individuals from around the world to discuss specific issues related to GLBT rights.

Individuals registering in sport or cultural activities can benefit from a $100 rebate on the conference fee. The same rebate also applies to registrants to the conference who also wish to take part in sport or cultural activities.

Register early to reserve your place for this once-in-a-lifetime event!

AND THE WINNER IS...
Mr. Olivier Gest of Berlin is the winner of the "ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO" Early Registration Contest for the month of June. Mr. Gest is the happy winner of a round trip ticket via Air Canada to the 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006. Register now and get a chance to win one af many prizes. Duration of contest is from 1 June to 31 December 2004. One draw every month!
More details here >>

REGISTRATION KEEPS ROLLING!
We already have more than 400 early registrations for the 2006 Outgames! It is very encouraging to see that the origin of registrants corresponds closely to our original forecasts: almost 40% from the United States, 30% from Europe and 5% from Australia. Spaces in some activities will fill up quickly so register now - don't wait!

RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND PAY: EARLY REGISTRATION IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL SPORTS 
As of 1 July 2004, the (33) thirty three sports are now open for you to Reserve your Place in the Sport(s) of your choice and pay your registration fee.

Do not hesitate to reserve your place and pay now. It is the only sure way to guarantee your place and benefit from the 23% rebate off the regular price. Register now and return later to finalise your online registration, including setting up a team, joining a team and selecting your competition category and/or events. Register now here >>

HAMBOURG AND STUTTGART..AND SWITZERLAND!
GLBT teams in two German cities are recommending that their members register for the 1st World Outgames Montréal 2006. The GLBT team from Switzerland has just announced that it, too, will recommend Montréal's event to its members.

NEW YORK ROWERS SET THEIR SIGHTS ON MONTRÉAL
We received this letter from the rowing team in New York:

We are well under way here in NY with our new rowing team. As luck would have it, I met up with someone who organized boats for Amsterdam 1998 for Row Team Austin. That person now lives in NYC and had some great connections at the new Peter Jay Sharp boathouse which just opened this summer in Manhattan. I believe he is actually in Montreal this week and next for Montreal Pride and some rowing events up there. Lucky him! His name is Steve Onken if you happen to run into someone from NY who recently started a rowing team in NY.

So far our team has enough members to practice regularly in a coxed 4 and we are growing rapidly. Most of us are post-collegiate, masters-age rowers that have been off the water for a couple years due to the fact that there is (was) extremely limited rowing in New York City. We have upcoming local events here in NY to raise awareness for the team and the new boathouse. You can actually see our boathouse and read about us at www.nyrowing.org . My goal is to compete as a team locally and at big events like Montreal 2006 and perhaps the Eurogames.

Montreal 2006 is definitely on the horizon for us. I appreciate any input you may have. Please stay in touch.

Regards,
Benjamin King

MORE "FIRSTS" FOR GLBT SPORT
Montréal 2006 is proud to announce that for the first time in the history of GLBT sporting competitions, FISA (Fédération internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron) has registered our regatta in its official international calendar. In another "first", Skate Canada, one of the most important national member federations of the ISU (International Skating Union) will sanction the Outgames' figure skating competitions, including categories for same-sex couples. This happy news has been received with great enthusiasm from skaters around the world.

SANCTIONS: A STANDARD OF QUALITY THAT BRIDGES THE GAP AND MAKES A DIFFERENCE
The sanctioning process has been completed with the federations governing the various sports. Sanctioned sports ensure that Outgames competitions will conform to the norms, rules and standards of mainstream national and international sport federations. When the governing body of a sport agrees to sanction an event, it provides technical expertise to the organisers, and the event is registered on the official calendar for that sport, maximising the event's visibility on the national and international sporting scene.

Usually it is mainstream, rather than GLBT, sporting events that receive official sanctions from recognised sport federations. That is why the sanctions obtained for the 1st  World Outgames are so important to the GLBT sporting movement; in the battle against homophobia in sport, sanctioned sports represent a bridge between the mainstream and GLBT sporting communities.

For the local sporting community, sanctions from recognised federations give local clubs the opportunity to network with national and international organisations, and allow them to benefit from various services offered to clubs (like training for coaches and officials, for example) so that they can develop and grow. The sanctioned sports in the Montréal 2006 programme can serve as a model for future World Outgames, and for GLBT sporting events in general.

For athletes participating in the 1st World Outgames, this means that Montréal 2006 will have access to technical expertise from recognized and trained individuals, including access to experienced, competent officials for Outgames competitions. These officials attend regular clinics and training sessions and are on the forefront of the latest changes and developments in their respective sports - in fact, they are often key decision-makers within their federations with regard to the evolution of their respective sports. Their participation ensures us of high-quality competitions that meet the highest standard of excellence.

ILGA-WORLD SUPPORTS THE CONFERENCE OF MONTREAL 2006

Montréal 2006 now has a presence on the ILGA World web site. In fact, the Secretary-General of ILGA-World, Mr. Kursad Karamanoglu , who is also a member of the international scientific committee for the International Conference on GLBT Rights, "The Right to Be Different", has generously offered Montréal 2006 space on the ILGA-World web site to promote the conference. In addition to providing information about this important and high-level conference, Montréal 2006's pages will also link back to the 1st World Outgames web site.

More than 6,000 members of GALA Choruses were in Montréal from 18 to 25 July for the VIIe Festival International GALA Choruses. Some 172 GLBT choral groups came together for this year's edition, which captivated and thrilled audiences with shows that included performances at the city's prestigious Place des Arts and magnificent Notre-Dame Basilica. The entire city fell under the spell of GALA's music and song, and over 1,000 GALA choral singers signed up for Club Montréal while they were in town. GALA chorus leaders and artistic directors were welcomed at Montréal's City Hall where they were invited to sign the Livre d'Or.

Montréal 2006 has signed an exclusive agreement with GALA Choruses in which GALA Choruses has agreed to collaborate with Montréal 2006 in the organization of a cultural event with at least 1,500 choral singers during the 1st  World Outgames in 2006. They will also promote Montréal 2006 during future chorus events leading up to 2006.