Star partners with Outgames

Sydney Star Observer and sister publication Southern Star have signed on as official media partners for the 2nd AsiaPacific Outgames in Wellington next year.

SSO Media publisher  Scott Abrahams said the two mastheads had been committed to covering gay and lesbian sport for many years.

“We want to ensure that the diversity of the community is reflected in the pages of the paper,” he said.

“This partnership is yet another step in our attempts to highlight the exciting evolution of GLBTI sport around the world.”

Wellington Outgames co-chair David Hindley said participation by Australians was hugely important to the event, especially those from Sydney and Melbourne.

“Apart from the size of those communities, there are also people there who have experienced these events — the Gay Games in Sydney a few years ago, and the 1st AsiaPacific Outgames in Melbourne ­— and so they know what amazing things they can expect,” he said.

Hindley said preparation for the Games is going extremely well, especially given the commitment of total support from their city council, the city’s best venues booked and the levels of interest from around the AsiaPacific region. The appointment of the NZ Governor-General as a lead patron of the event has also been a major coup.

Hindley said having visibility of gay sport in print publications was really important.

“It helps to connect people in a way which builds breadth and depth in the community, it is a support base for competitive athletes ­— and we have some amazingly good athletes in our communities,” he said.

“It also helps to open doors for ordinary people looking to explore new things in their lives, meet new people.”

The Outgames will include eight days of sports, parties, shows, arts and cultural events, where the visibility of the GLBTI community will be huge.

infot: www.wellingtonoutgames.com