re: Atlanta won't bid again to host Gay Games
re: Atlanta won't bid again to host Gay Gameshttp://sovo.com/2003/11-21/news/worldnews/
November 23, 2003
I have to admit my stomach was in knots the last few weeks as
Montreal announced they would not be the 2006 Gay Games host city and
I cannot believe I had to go through this again.
But I have to say Ray Hom and Margie Archer saw the writing on the
wall and did the right thing by not rebidding for the Games.
Although Atlanta came in second in the 2001 vote it is my guess
Atlanta would not have won the 2006 Games if they did rebid because:
1) after Montreal was selected to host the 2006 Gay Games, the
Atlanta Games people jumped on the next plane home and were not seen
again.
2) the Southern Voice story in 2002 about the bidding process not
being "ethical" really didn't go over well with the Federation of Gay
Games. They remember things like that.
3) Atlanta Games, Inc doesn't appear to be a viable organization -
not that it ever was. Ray Hom pulled all the strings there. The
failure of the last "Gay Night at the Braves" and the cancellation
this year had a few people at the Federation wondering just how
together Atlanta is. The sub-par bid didn't help.
4) Team Atlanta is a failure. I haven't heard a peep from them in
years and the fact they have not shown up at a Federation meeting
since 2001 doesn't help the cause.
5) neither Ray or Margie attended the 2002 Gay Games in Sydney.
6) the Federation still remembers how badly I was treated by the
current Atlanta Games, Inc group.
7) "Committed" isn't a word I would use thinking about Atlanta Games,
Inc and the Gay Games.
All these reason were discussed among Federation members at the
Chicago meeting last week and Ray/Margie were asked directly about a
few of the above.
What puzzles me are the quotes in Southern Voice and Outsports this
week. Ray and Margie cited the short bidding period as the reason not
to rebid saying "We cannot in good conscience ask sponsors and city
partners to participate in a bid process that we disagree with and
will put the winning city in a losing position as the 2006 games
rapidly approach." *
At the Federation meeting this month Ray demanded the 2006 Games be
given to Atlanta because they came in second in the 2001 vote (the
second and third place were very close). When they were denied, Ray
and Margie came back two days later with contracts for sporting
venues in Atlanta committed to the Games - much like Montreal did
with their $100,000 check. Still no Games. (*I guess
the "disagreement" is the fact the Federation didn't just GIVE the
Games to Atlanta.)
That doesn't sound like a group that walked away willingly from the
rebidding process and wasn't above using "unethical" tactics they
were complaining about the year before.
But I did warn the City of Atlanta and the community in general that
Atlanta Games, Inc would not be able to win the 2006 Gay Games and
not to waste $300,000. It is obvious Atlanta would not make it the
second time around so Ray and Margie did do one thing right by
removing themselves now.
As for the Southern Voice story - it missed the boat:
1) I did email the Federation co-chairs but never heard back.
Kathleen Webster may have been referring to me in the story but I
don't know.
I did tell Southern Voice I doubted there was another group who could
pull off the rebidding because no one else has the experience or
knowledge needed with the Federation and the bidding process.
2) I do feel Atlanta Games, Inc did drop the ball by not staying
active with the Federation and they didn't have much of a Board to
begin with. With Hotlanta Raftrace in flames so went half the AGI
board. (The other reasons are listed above) The fact that the Atlanta
Conventions & Visitors Bureau still talks to Ray and Margie did help
AGI - but I have to wonder how committed the ACVB was to a rebid.
This is a sad end to a long ordeal. I truely believe a 2006 or 2007
Gay Games (most likely in Chicago) will be a disaster (which wouldn't
be any different from the last 3 Games) since Montreal is still going
forward with a sporting event in 2006 and the time frame is too small
to really pull things together.
In closing, another comment from Ray Hom in Southern Voice touched me:
"If the Federation was interested in doing the most sensible, the
most fair and efficient process for selecting a replacement host
city, we would have been interested in the possibility of hosting the
games," said Ray Hom, co-chair of Atlanta Games. "But that didn't
happen."
In 2001, the words "sensible", "fair" and and "efficent" didn't seem
to appear in Ray's vobaulary considering how I was booted from the
organization because I would not let Ray be a third co-chair so he
took it upon himself to have me removed so he could take my job.
Considering the knowledge and experience I had then (and now), that
was not sensible and efficient. And in the end, it just wasn't fair.
If I remained on the Board, things may have been different.
But that didn't happen.
Tom Dempsey
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