It looks like LGBT athletes and their families will have an area designated specifically for them during this year's Olympic Games. According to the Pride House Foundation, a Pride House celebrating LGBT athletes and fans will open Aug. 3-7 in the Limestone Basin. The European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation also poans to present an exhibit called â┚¬Å”Against the Rules,â┚¬Â which honors 37 gay and lesbian athletes of note.
A Pride Festival will continue at various venues throughout the Olympic Games, which run July 27-Aug. 12.
â┚¬Å”Pride House 2012 will provide a welcoming space for all, from Olympic athletes to recreational sports enthusiasts and spectators,â┚¬Â said Lou Englefield, Pride Sports UK executive director. â┚¬Å”Our aim is to welcome everyone to learn more about the vibrant LGBT sport movement while celebrating the London Games.â┚¬ÂÂ
The news of the Pride House's return is welcome to many athletes, who were told plans for a Pride House were scrapped in April because of a lack of sponsorship. The 2010 Pride House during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver was a huge success, and emerged as a popular hospitality center for LGBT athletes and fans.
â┚¬Å”With the opening of Pride House 2012, we continue to build on the legacy of 1968 Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell, the founder of the Gay Games, the largest international sporting event open to all,â┚¬Â said Emy Ritt, Federation of Gay Games co-president. â┚¬Å”We are pleased that Pride House 2012 will showcase LGBT sport and culture at the many clubs and organizations that have been created as a result of the first Gay Games in 1982.â┚¬ÂÂ
This year marks the 30th Olympiad, which is also referred to the â┚¬Å”Triple-X Games.â┚¬ÂÂ
