On November 24, the organizers of the Gay Games Guadalajara and Vallarta Pride held a press conference at the Industry Night Club to publicize the details of one of the most important sports events within the Community: the celebration of the Gay Games XI 2023, which is held every four years.
Among the speakers at the conference was Mónica Sánchez, Executive Director of Gay Games Guadalajara, who explained that the world diversity games, as they are also called, is a non-profit sporting, cultural and social event.
The XI edition, which will take place in Guadalajara, will consist of twenty sports disciplines, cultural events, a fashion show, conferences on health, labor inclusion and the economy, as well as an after destination that of course will be in Puerto Vallarta. More than 8,000 athletes will participate from November 3 to 11, 2023 with the participation of 50% athletes from North America, 25% from Europe, 15% from Mexico and Latin America and 10% from the rest of the world.
The Gay Games is an event that invites everyone, where one of its maxims is inclusion, so it is also open to heterosexual people and allies. The only requirement is to be over 18 years of age and there is no age limit to participate, nor does one necessarily have to be a high-performance athlete or have a sports career.
“In diversity lies the wealth of a society” said Mónica Sanchez, inviting society to participate and be promoters and spokespersons for this great event.”
Alex Serratos, Director of Marketing and Communication of Gay Games Guadalajara, mentioned that a 50% discount on registrations for Mexican participants was achieved, so it is a great opportunity to be part of this event.
Alfredo Soria, Ambassador in Puerto Vallarta of Gay Games Guadalajara, stressed the importance of Puerto Vallarta in supporting international events of this nature. Not only as a Gay Friendly destination that it is, but also as an agent for promoting inclusion and bringing the LGBTQ+ Community closer to sport, from which it has historically been excluded, as well as offering safe spaces to do so. That is why Puerto Vallarta will be the after destination of the Gay Games starting on November 12.
The Representative of the State of Jalisco, Susana Rodríguez, endorsed the government’s support for diversity, sports and inclusion. She mentioned that more than 16,000 visitors are expected and an economic benefit of approximately 600 million pesos.
Javier Jimenez, organizer of Vallarta Pride 2023 announced the changes that will be carried out for the next Pride, which of course will include art, culture, a fashion show and, of course, sporting events with the support of the Gay Games. It will begin in February 2023 with the first Community race in the history of Puerto Vallarta. Likewise, Javier commented that since “Vallarta Pride is not just a party”, support will be provided to solve problems of the LGBTQ+ community that improve their quality of life.
Arabela Guajardo, General Director of aMi agency, who manage Vallarta Pride Marketing, mentioned events with the participation of México de Colores with its dance show, which is intended to be held at Los Arcos del Malecón so that everyone in Puerto Vallarta can enjoy and understand a little more about the LGBTQ+ community.
The closing of the conference was made by the special guest Jobis Shosho, as representative of the Original Peoples of our country and migrants in Mexico, who wore his Xiwárika suit, and forcefully explained the need to be visible and heard, requesting support for the communities LGBTQ+ indigenous people, who suffer from significant deficiencies, in addition to being unaware of their own rights.
Among the participating disciplines are:
5k and 10k races
Marathon and Half Marathon
Dance
Basketball
Bowling
Cheeleading
Soccer 11/7
Golf
powerlifting
Struggle
Swimming
diving
Water polo
Tennis
Volleyball in its beach and lounge versions
