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I’m cøming Øut
The World Outgames struts into Copenhagen next month, heralding a vast array of sporting events and making the hip Danish capital the gayest place to be this summer. Simon Gage dons his sports gear and gets a piece of the action
I’d rather be a sportsman than a VIP,” says Jan de Wieuw, explaining that his duties at this summer’s World Outgames won’t include his usual badminton racquet or even volleyball shoes, but instead a lot of hand-pressing, note-taking and schmoozing. De Wieuw, an event organiser from Belgium, is going to the host city, Copenhagen, as project manager for World Outgames 2013 in Antwerp to see how the event works. And if he can have a bit of fun in the process, then all well and good.
The idea of the World Outgames – like a mini gay Olympics, attracting nearly 5000 participants with 38 disciplines from aerobics to wrestling – may seem strange, especially as the event is open to anyone regardless of their sexuality. But if you think of it as a gathering of tolerant people ready to enjoy sport, culture, discussions on human rights, and maybe some cocktails and dancing after dark, then it makes perfect sense.
“Sportwise, there isn’t any difference,” says Dennis Peeters, who’ll represent Belgium at badminton. “It’s just as professional as a regular tournament. And I must say I’ve never met any prejudice playing in straight leagues.
I don’t even know if straight teams realise we’re gay, although we do kiss on court if we do well.” Well, they probably do then…
“But it’s the social aspect that makes this event,” he adds. “There’s lots of fun stuff and you get to meet all your international friends. That’s why I’m looking forward to Copenhagen.”
And there couldn’t be a better place than the Danish capital to host the first World Outgames in Europe, following the event’s debut in Montreal in 2006. The city is beautiful, civilised and stylish, and has a gay-friendly local government. In fact, everything has gone without a hitch, despite the ambitiousness of projects such as OutCities, which has invited five mayors from as far afield as Rio de Janeiro and Melbourne to help capture the flavour of their home towns. Mini villages, with performances and events, tastings and music, will be strung together so the experience will be like walking the world as you stroll through the centre of town. Add to that an international choral festival, same-sex tango showcases and a picnic for men who like to wear leather, and you’ll agree it has plenty of bases covered.
“OutCities is one of the really good things about World Outgames,” says De Wieuw. “It’s something we’re all quite curious about. And the fact that it’s all outdoors means you can really move and inspire people as they’re walking about the city.”
Copenhagen is quite some city, from the wonderfully kitsch Tivoli Gardens – a historical park-cum-fairground right in the centre of town, with restaurants, rides and one of the finest hotels in this part of the world – to the elegant shops of downtown, where quaint little streets and majestic squares are dotted with the likes of Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Cafés spill out onto the streets, especially downtown, where you can choose between crisp modern fare and some very indulgent traditional cakes.
But what Copenhagen does best is mix the old and the new with a quirky twist. Take the city’s Statens Museum for Kunst, which showcases more than 700 years of European art, and its glass-roofed Sculpture Street, which links the original 19th-century building with the super-modern architecture of the new extension built in 1998.
The atmosphere of the World Outgames meshes perfectly with the vibe of the city, where clubs with all the outrageous appeal of London or Berlin share space with the cosiest – old-fashioned even – gay bars in which drag queens belt out the same songs as 50 years ago. The games’ opening ceremony on 25 July will take in all these threads. Starting at Rådhuspladsen and including the grand opening of OutCities, it will culminate in a canal trip across Copenhagen harbour and a massive party at a venue overlooking the water. It’s going to be quite something.
“It’s a very relaxed atmosphere,” says De Wieuw of the games and, by extension, the whole city. “The sports are taken seriously but participating is far more important than winning. It’s all about having a good time.”
Out and about in Copenhagen
When you’re not watching sport, there’s plenty of other things to see and do
Where to sleep
Hotel Fox
3 Jarmers Plads, tel. +45 3313 3000, www.hotelfox.dk
If you’re fed up with the sameyness of the international hotel experience refresh your palate at Hotel Fox, where avant-garde artists from around the world have been invited to design and decorate each of the rooms.
Nimb
5 Bernstorffsgade, tel. +45 8870 0000, www.nimb.dk
Offering suites where fine Danish designs share a bed with proper antiques, this fun palace also houses the best restaurant in town and, for drinks, a salon where bizarre art is drawn on the walls.
Where to eat
Oscar Bar Café
77 Rådhuspladsen, tel. +45 3312 0999, www.oscarbarcafe.dk
The setting-off point for most gay nights out, this cute little café-bar on the central square, with tables on the pavement in nice weather, does Danish open sandwiches and burgers, or you could just settle for drinks and boy-watching.
The Laundromat Café
15 Elmegade, tel. +45 3535 2672, www.thelaundromatcafe.com
With a hefty dose of Nørrebro’s retro-chic, orange plastic lights, animal-print stools and washing machines humming away in a side room, local hipsters come here to chill out to loungy beats. You can have a burger or pasta dish while getting your sports whites whiter than white.
Going out
Rocco
Zum Biergarten, 12e Axeltorv, tel. +45 2340 3540
The monthly parties and odd events here are crammed with naughty go-gos, boys with their tops off and drag queens, making this the closest thing Copenhagen has to Berlin or London.
Cosy Bar
24 Studiestræde, tel. +45 3312 7427
There’s nothing revolutionary to be found in the décor here – just a long bar and some seats – but come late and you’ll be glad you did.
FR Je me démarque
L’idée des World Outgames – une sorte de mini-Jeux Olympiques gay, comprenant 38 disciplines depuis l’aérobique jusqu’à la lutte – peut paraître étrange, et plus spécialement du fait que cet évènement est ouvert à tous et toutes, indépendamment de leur orientation sexuelle. Mais si vous pensez à cet événement comme à un rendez-vous entre personnes tolérantes, prêtes à apprécier un grand moment sportif, culturel et par la même occasion quelques cocktails dans une ambiance festive, alors cela prend tout son sens.
“En termes de sport, il n’y a aucune différence,” explique Dennis Peeters, qui représentera la Belgique au badminton, lors de cet événement annuel à Copenhague. “C’est tout aussi professionnel qu’un match habituel. Mais c’est l’aspect social qui entoure la manifestation qui fait la différence. Il y a plein de choses amusantes qui s’y passent.”
Il ne pouvait y avoir meilleure ville hôte que Copenhague pour ces premiers World Outgames d’Europe. C’est une ville vraiment agréable, depuis les Jardins Tivoli fabuleusement kitsch – un parc d’attractions historique en plein cœur de la ville – jusqu’aux boutiques élégantes du centre. À chaque coin de rue, les cafés reçoivent les visiteurs, et vous pouvez choisir entre une cuisine moderne ou vous faire plaisir avec des gâteaux et des pâtisseries traditionnelles.
L’atmosphère des World Outgames s’accorde parfaitement aux vibrations de Copenhague. Ici de nombreux clubs dégagent le même côté extravagant qu’à Londres ou à Berlin à côté des bars gay plus confortables, voire embourgeoisés. La cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux, le 25 juillet s’inscrira dans ce large paysage. Elle démarrera de la Rådhuspladsen, et culminera dans une croisière sur le canal dans le port de Copenhagen, qui sera aussi l’occasion d’une immense fête sur l’eau. Cela promet d’être un moment extraordinaire.
“L’ambiance est très décontractée,” dit Jan de Wieuw, responsable de l’organisation des prochains World Outgames, qui se tiendront à Anvers en 2013. “Les sports sont pris très au sérieux, mais participer est plus important que de gagner. L’essentiel au bout du compte est de passer un bon moment.”
NL Uit de kast, naar de Spelen!
Het idee achter de World Outgames – een miniversie van de Olympische Spelen voor homo’s en lesbiennes met 38 disciplines van aerobics tot worstelen – klinkt ietwat vreemd, vooral als je weet dat het evenement vrij toegankelijk is voor iedereen, ongeacht hun seksuele geaardheid. Maar als je het bekijkt als een samenkomst van tolerante mensen die samen genieten van sport, cultuur, cocktails en dansen, dan is het plaatje zonneklaar.
“Op sportief vlak is er geen verschil”, zegt Dennis Peeters, een Belgische vertegenwoordiger van badminton op het evenement dat dit jaar in Kopenhagen plaatsvindt. “Het gaat er even professioneel aan toe dan op elk ander toernooi. Maar het is het sociale aspect dat dit evenement maakt tot wat het is. Er zijn enorm veel plezante dingen te doen.”
Kopenhagen is de perfecte thuishaven voor de eerste World Outgames in Europa. Het is een prachtige stad met heel wat troeven: van de heerlijk kitscherige Tivoli Gardens – een historisch park annex festivalterrein pal in het midden van de stad – tot de stijlvolle winkelstraten in het centrum. Waar je ook kijkt, overal zie je cafés waar iedereen wel aan zijn trekken komt. Er staat heel wat lekkers op het menu; van gebakken, moderne kost tot heerlijke traditionele cake en pasteitjes.
De sfeer op van de World Outgames versmelt perfect met de vibes van de stad. Extravagante clubs, zoals je die ook in Londen en Berlijn vindt, staan hier zij aan zij met gezellige – zelfs ouderwetse – homobars. Voor de openingsceremonie van de Spelen op 25 juli werden al deze aspecten in gedachten gehouden. Het begin ligt op de Rådhuspladsen, vanwaar het via een tocht over het kanaal door de haven van Kopenhagen verder gaat tot aan een grootscheepse party in een club met uitzicht over het water. Het belooft een spectaculair gebeuren te worden.
“De sfeer is erg ontspannen”, zegt Jan de Wieuw, project manager van de volgende World Outgames die in 2013 in Antwerpen zullen plaatsvinden. “Het sportieve aspect is een serieuze zaak maar deelnemen is veel belangrijker dan winnen. Het is vooral de bedoeling dat iedereen zich fantastisch amuseert.”
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