Cape Town’s Dream to Host Gay Games 2030 Ends

Despite the support of the city’s Mayor and receiving a standing ovation for its bid presentation in Washington, DC in October, Cape Town’s journey to host the 2030 Gay Games has sadly come to an end.

The Cape Town bid team announced on Thursday that the city did not secure enough votes to advance to the final shortlist.

After a weekend of virtual voting, the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) revealed that Denver, Perth, and Auckland will now proceed to compete for the opportunity to host the global event.

“Our bid team displayed immense dedication and passion from the get-go, and I want to thank them for their enthusiasm and professionalism,” said David Ryan, co-chair of Cape Town’s bid.

“I also extend our team’s thanks to everyone – from the City to LGBTQ+ groups and human rights advocates – who supported us on our journey and believed in our mission,” he added.

Ian McMahon, a long-time advocate for bringing the event to Cape Town, expressed his disappointment but remained optimistic about the future.

“I am incredibly proud of our bid and the work that went into creating a world-class proposal and presentation,” said McMahon.

“While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, our journey is far from over. We wanted to use the Gay Games in Cape Town as a platform to start necessary and important conversations, reshape the narrative around what it means to be queer in Africa, and leave a legacy of lasting change across the continent. I believe that we can still achieve this, even if it’s not in the way we had envisioned.”

A Competitive Process

The bidding process began in December 2023, with 21 cities from around the world expressing interest in hosting the event. By May, Cape Town had advanced to the top 10, and in August, it made the cut to the final seven after submitting its official bid book, detailing the city’s readiness to host the 13th edition of the Gay Games.

The Gay Games, held every four years, is the world’s largest LGBTQIA+ sports and cultural event. Despite several previous attempts, including Cape Town’s 2016 bid and Johannesburg’s extremely-close 2005 effort, the event has yet to be hosted on African soil.

Austin Manning, FGG’s Officer of Site Selection, congratulated the three finalist cities on their progress.

“Each city has worked incredibly hard to present themselves as a potential host and has firmly stamped their local culture and uniqueness onto their proposals. This milestone is not just about choosing a city; it’s about envisioning a future where LGBTQ+ sports and culture, and the values we share, shine brighter than ever,” said Manning.

The finalist cities will now update their bid documents, followed by site visits and a final vote in October 2025. The winning city will then be announced.

It’s not all doom and gloom for Cape Town, which recently won the bid to host WorldPride in 2028.