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The city is angling to change that by pumping more than 10 million dollars of government and corporate funding into hosting the World Outgames, a large international LGBT sports, culture and human rights festival, scheduled to take place from July 25 to August 2 in 2009.

“Some people try to compare the World Outgames concept to the Olympics”, said Mr. Uffe Elbæk, director of the group that is organizing the event in Copenhagen.

“But it is more like the Olympics in 3D, where sport is accompanied by 2 equally important dimensions: a wide ranging cultural program and a human rights conference focusing on issues important to the LGBT community,” said Mr. Uffe Elbæk.

Under the banner “Love of freedom, freedom to love”, organizers of the World Outgames 2009 envision an atmosphere of friendliness and inclusion where LGBT people, their friends, families, supporters and the curious will be able to meet in a spirit of tolerance to enjoy and learn from the richness of human diversity.

Organizers are expecting about 8,000 registered participants in more than 35 sporting disciplines, a diverse cultural program and the human rights conference. In addition, many thousands of tourists are expected to attend.

The first World Outgames were held in Montreal, Canada in 2006 and attracted more than 12,000 registered participants from 111 countries.

Fittingly, the World Outgames 2009 in Copenhagen will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in New York that sparked the coming out of millions og LGBT people in the US and around the world.

For more information visit the website www.copenhagen2009.org.

Press contact

World Outgames 2009 ApS
Gerry Hail, gerry@copenhagen2009.org
Farvergade 10
1463 Copenhagen K
Denmark
+45   
www.copenhagen2009.org