They had exactly 1,775 days from the Sept. 29 announcement that Cleveland would host the 2014 Gay Games until that event's opening ceremony Aug. 9.And organizers are already predicting many other incredible, eye-popping numbers for the event, which will carry a registration fee of $135, regardless of the date. Just consider that there will be:
—15,000-20,000 participating athletes;
—4,000-5,000 participants for cultural events;
—250,000 attendees over a 10-day span;
—7,000 rodeo participants, since rodeo will be at the Games for the first time; and
—70,000 attending the opening and closing ceremonies, both to be held at Cleveland Browns Stadium, home of the National Football League franchise, with the Goodyear blimp flying overhead.
"We absolutely believe that this is going to be one of the greatest events that the Federation [ of Gay Games, FGG ] has ever had," said Doug Anderson, 54, one of the three co-founders of the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, the Cleveland bid committee that presented its case for 2014 to the FGG in September in Cologne, Germany, site of the 2010 Gay Games.
"If you talk to athletes, for them, it's about their sport, the love of their sport; it's the reason why they do it," Anderson said. "Cleveland might not be the most spectacular city, but it's a city that, come 2014, people from all over the world truly will be welcome, safe and secure. And that's a message that the Federation is sending out, too. Just because a city is high-profile does not mean that hosting a Gay Games will be a financial success, as we've learned."
Cleveland landed the Games away from fellow finalists Boston and Washington, D.C.
There initially were 14 cities worldwide that expressed interest in hosting the 2014 Games. They were then narrowed to four, but Miami ultimately did not meet a deadline to submit its bid.
So, on the final Tuesday in September, with the world watching live via an Internet broadcast, Chicagoan Dick Uyvari, in Cologne, announced that Cleveland was the 2014 winner.
"We knew that our bid was really strong," said Anderson, whose crew delivered a final 45-minute presentation to the FGG, followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session the days before the announcement.
"We went in with a message that we are the heartland and that just expressing interest in hosting the Games has created enormous change in Cleveland-Akron," Anderson said. "We also told that we had secured the incredible Firestone Stadium in Akron and the Firestone Country Club, marking the first time [ that country club ] has been opened to an LGBT organization.
"Our presentation in Cologne stressed that we are Midwesterners, that we are family, that we're detail-oriented, that we're professional event-planners."
Cleveland's on-site crew in Cologne numbered 20, including a representative from Continental Airlines, which already has agreed to be a corporate sponsor in 2014.
"Our message was, 'Come to Cleveland; it's accessible, it's affordable; it's welcoming,'" Anderson said. "One of the things that we knew was going to be our strength was our financial package. The Cleveland Synergy Foundation had been granted $700,000 and a minimum of $1.3 million in in-kind donations [ done in goods and services rather than cash ] from the City of Cleveland to host the 2014 Games.
"We knew that we had far exceeded the minimum expectations for the venues for the athletic and cultural events. But we also knew that we were at a disadvantage because Boston and D.C. each had representatives in the Federation, so we had to stress that our message was change.
"Cleveland is a melting pot; we have people living here from all over the world. And Cleveland is a fun city."
And when Oosterberg announced Cleveland's name, Anderson admitted he was "floored."
"We thought in our hearts that we had won, but in our heads that we had lost," he admitted. "We knew we would have some battles to entice voters to vote for Cleveland. Eventually, we won the vast majority of the voting delegates, and that was a huge message from the Federation delegates, specifically, the Europeans.
"We were completely nervous when the announcement was being made, but that quickly turned to pandemonium. It was phenomenal."
The Cleveland representatives returned home for a congratulatory party with the city's mayor, other politicians and more.
But Cleveland? Yes, Cleveland!
"Before you can pass judgment on anything, you either need to taste it, look at it, partake in it or participate in it. So before you ever say anything [ negative about Cleveland ] , come to Cleveland, and see what the city is all about. Cleveland is a city that is blazing with innovation, blazing with change, blazing with vitality," Anderson said.
The 2014 Gay Games will be the largest event/conference in the city's history.
"I could easily list the reasons why people should come to Cleveland. As for those who are negative [ toward ] Cleveland, well, that's just the nature of the beast," Anderson said.
Anderson, originally from central Pennsylvania, lived in Cleveland in the '80s and '90s, then in California and Arizona. With his partner of 15 years, Jeff Axberg, they returned to Cleveland in December 2006 "and we fell in love with the city again."
Anderson has for years played in gay volleyball tournaments—in Cleveland and elsewhere in North America. "That was an important part of my life and I developed some great friendships," through gay volleyball, he said.
And when he returned to Cleveland a few years ago, he resumed playing volleyball—and he found friends he knew 30 years earlier.
The Cleveland gay volleyball league, the North Coast Athletics Volleyball ( NCAV ) , has grown tenfold in recent years, to more than 400 participants. NCAV is an active affiliate of the Cleveland Synergy Foundation.
Ironically, those 2014 Games almost went to Orlando.
You see, a few years ago, Anderson was contacted by officials with Orlando's Gay Days to see if he was interested in developing the first LGBT Sports Festival at the Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, which would include volleyball, softball, tennis and a 5K run. Then Orlando officials thought they could host the Gay Games, and Anderson was asked if he would be interested in submitting a letter of intent for Orlando for 2014, and that's what he originally did.
But, when he returned home to Cleveland, "I just thought, 'Why Orlando? Why not Cleveland!' After all, Cleveland has great venues, a great lake, a great community—so why am I doing it for Orlando?"
Cleveland eventually expanded to incorporate nearby Akron.
"Every year up until 2014, we will host an annual My Games Rock Sports Festival," Anderson said. " [ Starting ] in April 2010, [ the event ] will include volleyball, swimming and diving, racquetball and squash—and also rugby, soccer or flag football. It will be at Cleveland State University, and this was something we were going to do regardless if we won [ the 2014 Games. ] "
Ultimately, every 2014 Gay Games sport will have a dry run of sorts in Cleveland, "so we will know what we will have to do, what we will have to change, what we will enhance upon," for the 2014 Games, Anderson said.
There also will be four LGBT cultural events happening annually until 2014.
"Since being awarded the Games, Cleveland has [ received requests ] from international athletic and cultural organizations to host their conferences, their national championships," Anderson said. "That will really give Cleveland huge exposure over the next five years in a multitude of sports.
"We're going to make sure that when 2014 rolls around, at Browns Stadium for the opening and closing ceremony, it will be the most spectacular opening and closing ceremonies that the Federation has ever seen."
Anderson spoke on several other Gay Games topics:
—Registration: The fee is $135, regardless of when you register. Most major sporting events have a lower fee to register early, and then the price increases the closer the event gets. "Ultimately, we had $4.5 million worth of support to do this event," Anderson said. "Our budget for corporate fundraising, and fundraising in general, was already covered before we even took one dime through registration."
—Cologne Gay Games in 2010: "We're definitely an advocate for a successful event in Cologne; there's no question about that," said Anderson. "And that's been the case even before we landed the 2014 Games. A successful event in Cologne will help create more energy for 2014. We will help Cologne as much as we can."
—Unique marketing push for 2014: According to Anderson, it was Brazil, "especially since Rio de Janeiro just landed the 2016 Olympics."
—Worldwide economic crisis: "It would cost you twice as much to participate in [ the Games in ] D.C. or Boston; that's the beauty of Cleveland," Anderson said. "The LGBT community spends money where it wants to, and athletics certainly are on that list [ of where they spend their money ] . And they will do it here in Cleveland. It's all about affordability, and Cleveland probably is one of the most affordable cities in the U.S."
—World Outgames: "There is a potential that the Outgames won't happen in 2013 because Copenhagen [ this past summer ] was not a success based on attendance [ the number of participants ] ," Anderson said. "What I would really like to see is communication between the entire GLBT community. If the Gay Games maintains the integrity that it is an athletic event, and enhances the cultural component by maybe doing a [ human rights ] conference, [ as done at the two Outgames, ] one that doesn't take away from the athletic component, then you have the best of both worlds. The possibility does exist that [ the 2013 Outgames in ] Antwerp would not happen. I think the necessary parties [ that govern the Gay Games and the World Outgames ] should all get together, open up dialogue, be welcoming to each other. We just think it would be better for the entire LGBT community to just have one [ major sporting event ] every four years, [ not two ] ."
—Rodeo: "Those boys are very excited about participating in Cleveland [ in 2014 ] ," Anderson said.
