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DENVER (KDVR) — Denver has fallen just short in the bid to host the 2030 Gay Games sports competition after making it to the final round of the selection process. The Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee and Visit Denver announced Tuesday that Perth, Australia, has been chosen as the presumptive host for Gay Games XIII, winning hosting rights over Denver. The 2030 Gay Games XIII will be the largest 2030 worldwide LGBTQ+ sporting competition and cultural event, which is expected to bring thousands of the world's LGBTQ+ athletes. The Federation of Gay Games had previously announced Denver as the only U.S. city among 10 worldwide as contenders to host the 2030 Gay Games sports competition. After the announcement, Visit Denver and the Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee, in a joint effort, had previously developed an outline and plan to present how the city's infrastructure, along with its culture, would provide a safe and exciting environment for the LGBTQ+ community if they successfully won the bid. The bid committee in the fall of 2024 had submitted the outline as a 100-page bid book to the Federation of Gay Games. In December 2024, Denver was announced as one of three cities selected to make the final round. The other two finalists were Perth, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. Over 50 prominent Colorado figures and organizations, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, had previously shown their support for the Denver bid committee's efforts to host the 2030 Gay Games sports competition. “Despite the challenges that face our LGBTQ+ community, Denver showed up as inspiring proof that far more individuals are working to create unity through love. The world needs it now, more than ever, and our GGDEN supporters and bid committee should be proud,” said Lisa Seib, co-chair of Gay Games Denver 2030 Bid Committee, in a press release. In the Tuesday announcement, the Denver bid committee said they were thankful to community members who supported the bid in both "large and small" ways. In addition, the bid committee said they look forward to supporting both the 2026 Gay Games XII in Valencia and the 2030 Gay Games XIII in Perth.
