Gay Games VII
breaks even

After 20 years of losing money, the Gay Games has finally broken even. In a statement released Tuesday, Chicago Games Inc. announced that the costs of the games have been offset.

"In 2003, when we launched the bid to host the 2006 Gay Games, we promised our local LGBT community, the city of Chicago, and the worldwide LGBT sports movement that the 2006 Gay Games would break even financially," Chicago Games Inc. cochair Sam Coady said in the statement. "We also made the commitment to leave a lasting and positive legacy for future Gay Games hosts--a sound business model upon which future Gay Games could be built. We are proud today to have fulfilled those promises."

International sponsors of the competition included The New York Times, law firm Sidley Austin, PlanetOut Inc. (parent company of The Advocate), Gatorade, and Ernst & Young.

The 2006 event saw 11,750 athletes from 50 countries competing in dozens of sports. The next Gay Games will be in Cologne, Germany, in 2010. (The Advocate)