Gay Games kick off in Chicago The seventh Gay Games have officially begun in the US city of Chicago.
Officials expect 12,000 athletes representing over 70 countries to compete in 30 sports.
The games, held every four years, started in 1982 in San Francisco and are open to participants, gay and straight alike, regardless of ability.
They will include both sporting and cultural events for the next eight days, from world-class athletics, to band concerts, art installations and the Pink Flamingos, an outrageously camp aquatic show.
While about 70 per cent of the competing athletes are American, some of the other participating nations include countries where h o m o s e x u a l athletes come out at their peril.
Former American Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell founded the games.
His daughter, Jessica Waddell, explains what her father hoped to achieve:
