23 Photos of Sports and Sun in Sin City

The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association (GLASA) is pleased to announce that 20 sports will be featured in the 12th annual Sin City Classic Sports Festival. With registration now open, the festival has grown to have a global footprint and has become the world's largest annual LGBTQ sporting event. The 2019 Sin City Classic will take place January 17-20 in Las Vegas.

"As the festival continues to thrive, we know our athletes' expectations remain high. To that end, we have added more nightly events than ever before to help keep the athletes busy both competing and making connections with other athletes and friends over the course of the four days," said Ken Scearce, tournament director for Sin City Classic.

Each January the festival brings together LGBTQ sports associations from around the world in order for LGBTQ athletes, fans, and allies to enjoy a weekend full of competition, companionship, and fun. In addition to a full roster of sporting competitions, the festival includes nightly social events, including an Opening Night registration party and the Closing Night celebration, which will be held at the LINQ Promenade's Brooklyn Bowl.

This year the Sin City Classic has adopted a new initiative, "Play You." The tournament welcomes all athletes, regardless of sexual orientation, and promotes an open environment for everyone to participate in sports through the "Play You" initiative. Athletes attending the festival "play" sports in their local communities, but it is not always easy to be "you" in some cities. The Sin City Classic encourages athletes to attend, participate, and live authentically.

GLASA started the Sin City Classic 12 years ago as a softball tournament. Over the years the tournament has grown to include over 240 participating softball teams, and an additional 24 sports have been featured at some point throughout the years. GLASA remains committed to creating the best experience possible for all the dedicated athletes who participate and the fans and allies to come to enjoy the festival.

"Since 1978, GLASA's mission has been to create a fun, safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ people to play sports, regardless of their athletic experience or ability. While our primary focus is softball, partnering with many other great sports organizations on the Sin City Classic has allowed us to reach so many more people," said GLASA Commissioner Larry Ruiz. "We sincerely hope that the Sin City Classic in Las Vegas is a blast for everyone who attends. We also hope that it helps to grow excitement for LGBTQ sports in local communities everywhere."

For more information about the Sin City Classic or to register your team, please visit www.sincityclassic.org.