Australia hosts International gay aquatics Championships in February
Image: Daniel Kowalski of Australia qualifies for the men's 1500m freestyle event at the Georgia Tech Aquatic centre at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta Georgia. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
Melbourne is hosting the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) Championships in February and the competition’s ambassador, Daniel Kowalski, can’t wait for the world to see what’s on offer.
“Aquatics championships such as this combine two things I am very passionate about. There’s the swimming side of things,” the former Olympian said.
“But there’s also the chance to be a proud openly gay man surrounded by similar people participating in aquatic events.”
Having returned from the IGLA Championships in New York, Kowalski loved being a part of an authentic celebration of diversity and inclusion.
“It surpassed everything I thought it would be, because the social element meant you get to know the people as well,” he said of that experience.
The annual global LGBTQI aquatics championships will bring swimmers, divers and water polo players from around the world to Melbourne, with the social side of things shining just as brightly as the action in the pool.
Some swimmers may be waiting to see the full program of events before diving into registering, but Alan Shepherd from the organising committee isn’t concerned.
“We’ve been working hard to produce an exciting program over the five days in February, and with over 700 people already set to descend on Melbourne across all the sports, the local sporting communities are ready to show their diversity and inclusivity,” Shepherd said.
The Melbourne 2020 IGLA Championships take place between February 20-25 next year.
