Denver is a Finalist to Host the 2030 Gay Games

The ReelWorks banquet hall, which hosted the Gay Games Denver Community Night on July 16, was large but welcoming. Crowds cheered as the drag queen Anastasia Krystals performed a song from “Chicago.”

Families and organizers laughed between bites of complimentary pizza. The perimeter of the space was filled with artists and nonprofits’ booths. In this pocket of the RINO district, the air felt warm with a building hope that Denver might host the 2030 Gay Games. 

“My gay uncles brought me to my first Gay Pride parade in 1986, and we are all on their shoulders and their shoulders,” R. Tony Smith, the public relations director for the Denver bid, said. “Every generation has a moment. This is our moment in Denver, especially now with all the shit that’s happening in the universe, to be a mountain of hope for the LGBTQ+ community.” 

The Gay Games are an international sporting competition designed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion through sport and culture. Similar to the Olympics, the event is hosted every four years in cities around the world. Right now, the Gay Games are finalizing the city to host the 2030 games, with Denver and Perth, Australia, as the two finalists. 

The board of directors, which decides which city hosts the games, visited Denver recently to get a better feel for what the city has to offer. The week of festivities included tours of all the venues where events would take place, meet-and-greets with city officials and more. 

Denver initially joined the bid about a year and a half ago, along with 25 other cities. Since then, the process narrowed from ten to six to three to now two. The final decision will be presented publicly at the 2026 Gay Games in Valencia, Spain. 

“My job is to give a voice to this incredible movement called the Gay Games Denver 2030 bid Committee, connect people and to amplify our voice about why Denver is a great place,” Smith said. 

Smith, along with his Team Colorado volunteers, set up the ReelWorks community event, which raised about $10,000 to help Team Colorado fund the potential games. For Smith, the games mean far more than a sense of pride but a continuation of his uncles’ mission to fight for LGBTQ+ visibility. 

“We have to keep reminding the world that we are here to love and just be human,” Smith said. “Pride is a riot, and the Gay Games are all about being a riot worldwide.”

On the flip side of organizing such events, Austin Manning, who is the officer of site selection for the Federation of Gay Games, helped illuminate his team’s decision process. With a 25-member board made up of volunteers from around the world, Manning and his crew meet remotely for most stages of the process. 

“We’re looking for bids that really represent the FGG values because this is going to be a five-year partnership,” Manning said. “They’re going to have a stake in the legacy of the Games, as we work together. To say, in the case of Denver, what happens when we leave in 2031? What is the legacy and the lasting impact of the Gay Games in 2030?” 

Manning got in the process himself after participating in the 2018 Paris Games with his soccer team. From there, he got hooked and volunteered on the Culture and Ceremonies committee. To Manning, the games are all about meeting like-minded people from around the world.

“The personal connections I made with people from all walks of life, from around the world, really helped open my eyes up,” Manning said. “Especially as somebody who is living in Austin, Texas, who’s coming from a middle-class American family, making sure I remember the work that’s still out there to do. And the way that I, with certain privileges, can hold open doors and make sure other people have a chance to get into the conversation.”

If Denver gets chosen for the 2030 games, it will shadow Valencia through the 2026 games and have the torch passed to them at the end. This way, Denver can live up to the former games in years past and continue a positive legacy. 

“Every time I go to the games, I meet people who are going through things that just absolutely inspire me,” Manning said. 

The energy in the ReelWorks banquet hall community event reflected this spirit. With people from all walks of life gathering to support the potential games, there was an exciting feeling for what could be. But until the final decision in October, we can only dream and wait.