Miami Beach & Miami win bid to host 2017 worldOutgames.
February 4, 2013
Miami Beach & Miami have been chosen to host the worldOutgames in 2017, announced Daniel Vaudrin, president of the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association, yesterday. Vaudrin made the announcement during the selection ceremony in Antwerp, Belgium, site of the 2013 worldOutgames. This will mark the first time that the worldOutgames has been held in the United States.
“We are extremely honored that GLISA chose Miami Beach-Miami for the 2017 worldOutgames; this is a major leap forward for our community,” said Bruce Townsend, co-chair of the Miami Beach-Miami Sports and Cultural League, the 13-member volunteer coalition that entered the bid on behalf of the cities. “This experience has been unbelievable for our team and we are grateful to represent Miami Beach and Miami for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are ecstatic about being able to showcase Miami Beach and Miami on this world stage.”
Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower and Vice-Mayor Michael Gongora, along with several members of the Miami Beach-Miami Sports and Cultural League, including Townsend, Ivan Cano, Cindy Brown, George Neary, Keith Hart and Jerry Torres traveled to Antwerp, Belgium this week for the selection ceremony. Prior to this ceremony, Miami was shortlisted with Reykjavik, Iceland.