1992 Den Haag
1993 Den Haag
1995 Frankfurt/M
1996 Berlin
1997 Paris

The history of the EuroGames is still very young. Only in the early 1990s, in 1992, did the Gay-Lesbian European Championships come into existence. The EuroGames were inspired by its big sister the Gay Games, a gay and lesbian Olympics which first took place in San Francisco in 1982. The former Olympic decathlon competitor, Dr. Tom Wadell, initiated the sports meeting. Given that in the official world of sports there was and is little space for openly gay and lesbian participants, and that few felt or feel comfortable in traditional sports groups, he argued that separate sport competitions needed to be created. Thus the Gay Olympics were born which, however, had to change its name after losing in court to the American Section of the IOC, providing a final argument for continuing along the chosen path. At the first two Gay Games, which took place in 1982 and 1986 in San Francisco, European sportsmen and sportswomen were sparsely represented. In 1990, however, on the occasion of the `Celebration 90`, the GayGames in Vancouver, it became clear that the gay-lesbian sports-movement in Europe was also spreading. A few hundred activists took it upon themselves to make the long trip to Canadas wonderful western metropolis and were rewarded with a huge familial event which had never previously taken place in this form. The enthusiasm for and joy in doing sports with like-minded others in a relaxed manner was transported over the Atlantic. Our famous event, the Gay and Lesbian Run, was born out of this elation and first took place in 1991. But the EuroGames were also hit upon and in 1992 and 1993, some 300 guests gathered in Den Haag for what was then still a small multi-sport tournament. In 1995, however, more than 2,000 athletes participated in the EuroGames III. The boom in participants was occasioned by the huge spectacle of the Gay Games 1994 in New York, where many Europeans were involved, and the fact that the gay-lesbian sports movement in Europe has awakened from its Sleeping Beauty slumber. In Berlin we expect some 3,000 sportsmen and sportswomen who will compete in 18 forms of sport. Paris follows in 1997, while in 1998 Amsterdam will host the Gay Games, so that there will be no EuroGames that year. For the final year of this century there are already a number of cities under consideration. Europe comes together, and gay and lesbians must have an equal place in it the EuroGames helps make this happen.

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