Athletes and artists may now register online for the 2006 Gay Games

July 12, 2004

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Australians Jacqueline Zonneveld (R) and Marina Nestoriadia (L), compete in the Pairs event of the 'Let's Get Physical - Physique Show, at the VI Gay Games in Sydney, 2002. Photo: AFP/Greg Wood

Chicago Games, Inc. and the Federation of Gay Games are proud to announce that online registration for Gay Games VII, scheduled for 15-22 July 2006 in Chicago USA, has begun. Online registration went live at 6:00 pm Central USA Daylight Time.

Individuals interested in participating in any of the 30 sports plus band and choral events can now register online at http://www.GayGamesChicago.org. Select “Registration” from the home page and, after reviewing some preliminary guidance, register for Gay Games VII.

The Gay Games VII online registration system is an extremely sophisticated system built by Gay Games VII and Federation of Gay Games sports, culture, technology and marketing volunteers working in a database environment created by Afficient, a Chicago-based firm that provides registration technology architecture to large international multi-sport events.

The online registration system is designed to do much more than just “reserve” a spot in a Gay Games VII sport with just basic contact information. The system guides the athlete or artist through a series of questions that are critical to ensuring the proper placement of the participant in his or her sport or cultural program, enhances the organizational and financial success of Gay Games VII and places a high priority on the health and safety of the athlete or artist.

For example:
Swimmers are asked to identify the events in which they would like to compete, guiding tournament directors as they schedule swimming heats.
Softball players are asked to identify their competitive division, and if female, whether they will be playing in fast pitch or slow pitch softball. (Men aren’t asked this question since there is no men’s fast pitch softball – a testament to the sophistication of the online database.)
Martial artists are asked identify their experience – from beginners (white belts) on up to black belts – essential information to plan for a safe and balanced martial arts competition.
Tennis players are asked to place themselves in a level, whether they’ll be playing singles or doubles, and given hints on how to determine their experience level with 8 different countries’ levels provided as examples.
And, in each sport where a senior division is provided, athletes are given the choice to compete as “seniors” or to compete in a division more suited to their experience level.

Team and partners/pairs competitions were incorporated into the database with the kind of flexibility desired by athletes and the organizations representing them. Individuals can register for a team or partner sport all by themselves and request to be matched with a team or partner. Teams can also register together, with team captains being provided Confirmation IDs that, once shared with teammates, link the individuals together as a team for the Gay Games. Teams can be built with a small core of athletes registering early, adding players as confirmed availability is obtained.

The result of all this hard work is a complete registration – tested and retested by FGG and Chicago sports experts for more than a month, built by experienced technologists, and featuring improvement from the collective experiences of six previous Gay Games. With still more than two years to go before the Gay Games VII Opening Ceremony at Soldier Field, this is the earliest that Gay Games registration has ever opened.

We have listened to and incorporated many suggestions from previous Gay Games participants sent to the FGG. If you encounter any difficulties, please let us know by writing to info@gaygameschicago.org. We will analyze the problem and, working with Afficient and the FGG, do our best to ensure that the Gay Games VII registration system is the best possible.

Please take the time to visit our website at http://www.GayGamesChicago.org and register today. Remember – many Gay Games sports sell out due to capacity restrictions, and the only way you can ensure yourself a spot in the sport of your choice is to register early.

Chicago Games, Inc.
5443 N. Broadway, Suite 101
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 907-2006
FAX (773) 561-1343
info@gaygameschicago.org
www.GayGamesChicago.org

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