Cleveland to Host 2014 Gay Games

Cleveland will host the 2014 Gay Games, a sports and cultural festival that organizers say attracts as many as 12,000 athletes and generates tens of millions of dollars in spending.

The announcement on the city’s selection was made this week in Cologne, Germany, site of the 2010 games. Organizers said Cleveland won rights to host in 2014 after a year-long bidding process that included Boston and Washington, D.C., as finalists. The Gay Games last were held in the U.S. in 2006, when they were hosted in Chicago.

The Federation of Gay Games said the festival in Cleveland will take place Aug. 9-16, 2014, and feature 30 sporting events, four special events and opening and closing ceremonies.