MONTRÉAL 2006 GAY GAMES VII: Negotiations between the Montreal 2006 and the Federation of Gay Games continue

Montréal, October 17, 2003 ­ After two years of negotiations with the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), we find ourselves in a crisis situation. Fundamentally, Montréal 2006 (Gay Games Organising Committee) and the FGG cannot agree on a vision of the Games, its scope and control over the financing it will receive. ³It is from this perspective,² stated the Montréal 2006 co-presidents, Ms. Lucie Duguay and Mr. Mark Tewkesbury, ³that we requested arbitration with the FGG last week.² In response to this demand, the Negotiation Committee of the Federation and Montréal 2006 held a conference call yesterday. The Federation has rejected arbitration and continues in its demands. Although the FGG has refused to meet with us face to face, we have agreed to continue negotiations on the points of contention. Montréal 2006 wants the members of the Federation, who will be meeting at the annual meeting in Chicago November 9th to 15th, to be the ones to decide. It was on October 25, 2001, at Johannesburg, that Montréal was chosen by the FGG to host the Gay Games in 2006.

This choice was made based on a highly detailed bid document describing both the sporting and cultural activities planned, as well as the number of anticipated participants and financing. ³It was always on this basis,² explained Louise Roy, Director of the Montréal Games, ³that we negotiated with the FGG. Today, we are at an impasse due essentially to fundamental differences between our organisation and the FGG with regard to our respective visions of these games. In document after document, we have accepted to give in to various demands from the Federation, in particular we have already scaled down our athlete participation forecast from 24,000 to 16,000, and our budget forecast from 20 million dollars Canadian to 16 million dollars. But there are certain basic principles that we cannot afford to ignore without endangering the Games themselves, as well as their financial viability.²

The two essential points dividing Montréal 2006 and the FGG are: 1. The founding principles of the FGG revolve around the idea of developing sporting and cultural activities for the gay and lesbian movement worldwide. It is in this spirit that Montréal 2006 proposed that the games be produced on a larger scale than previous games. Over the last two years, we have developed contacts within some 500 gay and lesbian sports teams wherever possible around the world, allowing us to realistically anticipate a greater number of participants than at the previous Sydney Games. Our vision on this issue is not shared by the FGG: their contract requires Montréal Games be planned on the basis of 12,000 participants. We know this would be a financial disaster, and to operate the Games without deficit, we must aim for a minimum of 16,000 participants. In fact, the level of sponsorships is proportional to the scope of the event and our current funding is already in place for this level of participation. 2. Montréal 2006 has enjoyed the unfailing support of the governments of Québec and Canada, the City of Montréal and of Tourism Montréal. This translates into financial commitments of over 5 million dollars, something never before been seen in the history of the Gay Games. Montréal 2006 has also signed an agreement with a national television network, Radio-Canada, for official event coverage ‹ another first in the history of the Games ‹as well as agreements with private sponsors. Yet the FGG insists on having total control over how these resources are spent. For Montréal 2006, it is unthinkable that financial decisions on the Games be made by anyone other than its Board of Directors, who are legally responsible for the outcome of the event.