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11,000 athletes from 2000 cities in 40 countries on 6 continents competed in 31 sporting events. 130 Cultural Festival events and exhibits all over Manhattan added to the spirit of celebration. 7000 volunteers donated their energy to make the Games a success. As a result, over $100,000,000 in tourist revenues were added to New York's treasury.
An Olympic Torch type run seemed inappropriate for Gay Games, so it was decided to use our torch, the Rainbow Flag, and organize a cross-country run on in-line skates. The run departed from Tom Waddell's home in San Francisco on April 29,1994, with a team of 6 skaters led by Tom's daughter Jessica. After a 7 week skate covering 4,500 miles across 18 states, the Rainbow Flag was delivered to the Opening Ceremonies in New York. were held on June 18, 1994 at Wein Stadium on the Columbia University campus, setting the tone of unity, pride, and achieving one's personal best during the coming week's activities. A week later, 55,000 people packed Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the Closing Ceremonies which brought the tribe together again to celebrate the successes and the sense of empowerment that each individual experienced during the week. The Procession of Athletes into the stadium lasted 2 hours. Entertainers included Patti LaBelle and Cyndi Lauper. The evening concluded with fireworks and a laser light show.
More than 40 dance parties occurred during the week climaxing on Sunday June 26, Gay Pride Day, with "THE GIRL BALL on STONEWALL" at the Copacabana and for the men, "BIG GUNS DANCE ON MANHATTAN", a disco party on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid, with the proceeds going to AMFAR, American Foundation for AIDS Research. |
The "Tom Waddell Volunteer Cup", a gift to Gay Games from Vancouver's gay and lesbian community, was awarded to Rikki Streicher at the Closing Ceremonies as the most outstanding participant at Gay Games IV. She was a long time San Francisco Lesbian activist, having opened "Maud's Study" in 1966, a very popular lesbian bar in the Haight, and the equally popular "Amelia's" on Valencia in the 1980's.
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THIRTY ONE ATHLETIC EVENTS Aerobics, Badminton, Basketball, Biathlon, Billiards, Bowling, Cycling, Diving, Flag Football, Golf, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, In-Line Skating, Judo, Marathon, Martial Arts, Physique, Powerlifting, Racquetball, Soccer, Softball, Sport Climbing, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Track and Field, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling
Some of the information on this page was culled from the publications
This page created September 12, 2002
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