WORLD OUTGAMES 2009 CONCLUDED

By Lesego Tlhwale (BTM Intern)

Soccer match - world outgames  2009 pic  by: Camilla Joelsbjerg

AFRICA ABROAD - 03 August 2009: The 2nd annual World Outgames 2009 held in Copenhagen, Denmark, came to an end yesterday 2 August, after nine days of intense sporting and cultural events, uniting diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people around the globe.

Themed �love of freedom � freedom to love�, �the overall goal to of the event was, according to an official statement by World Outgames 2009, to reaffirm and defend the human rights of every LGBT person in the world to participate fully, equally and openly in every part of life.�
Attracting thousands of LGBTI participants from across the world, the event aimed to release talent reserved and to elevate the life quality of the LGBTI community in Denmark and the rest of the world.

As part of proceedings, a human rights conference was held and about 800 delegates from around the world participated in this 3 day conference which saw LGBTI activists, politicians, researchers and NGOs from all over the world addressing issues and concerns affecting gay people and sharing experiences, ideas and initiatives. 

�By hosting World Outgames, Denmark will send a signal to the rest of the world that it should maintain focus on the right to love whomsoever one wishes, irrespective of gender and sexuality�, Uffe Elbaek, director of World Outgames 2009 said.

The first World Outgames took place in Montreal, Canada in 2006. Copenhagen was selected to host the 2nd World Outgames in 2009 after a strong competition with several other cities.