Gay Games 2010: Win Even Before Competing

Story by Ed Salvato; images courtesy The Gay Games Cologne, above Gay Games bodybuilders by Athen Grey

The Gay Games -- that quadrennial celebration of sports, culture and good ol' fashioned LGBT Pride -- is fast approaching. The Games are scheduled for July 31 through August 7, 2010 in gay-friendly Cologne, Germany.

To encourage registration, the Gay Games organizers are offering "Surprise Days" from today, May 21, through Sunday, May 23. Yes, it's kind of a strange phrase (Germ-lish?), but nonetheless if you register in this period, you'll automatically be entered into a drawing to possibly receive anyone one of a slew of cool prizes, including shopping vouchers worth 50 euros (approximately $60 at today's exchange rate), a spa visit, sports clothes, a diving class, and more. All together more than 140 prizes will be distributed.

As our brother outlet, OutTraveler.com proclaimed a few years ago, Cologne is one of the most Catholic and perhaps paradoxically, one of the gayest cities in Germany. It's going to become a lot gayer come July 31.

Story by Ed Salvato; images courtesy The Gay Games Cologne, above Gay Games bodybuilders by Athen Grey

The Gay Games -- that quadrennial celebration of sports, culture and good ol' fashioned LGBT Pride -- is fast approaching. The Games are scheduled for July 31 through August 7, 2010 in gay-friendly Cologne, Germany.

To encourage registration, the Gay Games organizers are offering "Surprise Days" from today, May 21, through Sunday, May 23. Yes, it's kind of a strange phrase (Germ-lish?), but nonetheless if you register in this period, you'll automatically be entered into a drawing to possibly receive anyone one of a slew of cool prizes, including shopping vouchers worth 50 euros (approximately $60 at today's exchange rate), a spa visit, sports clothes, a diving class, and more. All together more than 140 prizes will be distributed.

As our brother outlet, OutTraveler.com proclaimed a few years ago, Cologne is one of the most Catholic and perhaps paradoxically, one of the gayest cities in Germany. It's going to become a lot gayer come July 31.