Our Organisation
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Our Team
I learned about the Gay Games from my friend, who is a HR recruiter.
The Gay Games is a great cause, if only one individual would feel inspired by what the Games stands for, it’s all worth it. I have always been interested in skills-based volunteerism, so it seems logical for me to say “yes” when they asked me to join the team as their legal counsel.
I spend about ⅓ of my time on my legal consulting business, ⅓ of my time on various “self-improvement” matters (e.g. exercise, taking courses and volunteering, etc), and ⅓ of my time just “whiling away” (e.g. mostly on traveling or hanging out with friends, etc).
I have not been a very active person, but I enjoy swimming (open waters) and hiking with my dogs.
Hong Kong is my home. I love the city because it’s full of contrast, it’s resilient and… it has lots of great food! Without Hong Kong, I would not have become the person I am today.
When I arrived in Hong Kong from Sydney, I was lucky enough to meet several amazing people who were part of the Gay Games organisation.
So I joined the Gay Games because I wanted to be part of something big. I wanted to find a way to give back to, as well as be part of this amazing city that my partner and I have started to call home. So when I think about why I moved to Hong Kong, why take the risk of packing my life and starting anew, it was all about meeting new people and experiencing the life here. The Gay Games allowed me not just to do both, but also be part of a great time working tirelessly to bring to life an inclusive and just fun, event for all.
During the day I work for an insurtech start up that aims to change the way people think about buying and selling insurance. But in my spare time, you’ll find me at the gym in the morning or walking along the Victoria Harbour. After a (rather long) hiatus since university, I’ve picked up the epee again two years ago and fencing on Wednesdays.
Other than that, I love to bake, spend time with my cat, and of course my loving partner James.
I really love Hong Kong, it really has so much to offer from amazing food, stunning mountain hikes, beautiful beaches and of course, a second-to-none nightlife and city, all within 20 mins of each other. Crazy.
I was an early volunteer back when Dennis was preparing the bid for the Gay Games and had one of the infamous “coffees” with him, I remember it was at Pottinger Hotel. I subsequently helped to set up and manage the GGHK social media accounts but eventually had to bow out due to work commitments.
My main motivation is to promote Unity, not just for LGBTQ communities, but everyone, inclusive of all manner of nationality, creed, sexual identity, religion, and politics. Our world has become dangerously divided, especially the past five years, so my hope is that the Games can be a touchpoint to rally and unite. I believe Diversity should be celebrated not feared, revered in the same way that Science and Compassion should be. The human race faces many existential threats such as climate change, mass disinformation, and even income inequality, so it’s essential that we find ways to come together and be a single Tribe so that we can solve these scary big problems.
I’m a longtime veteran of the Asia marketing industry and currently head up an international digital marketing agency. In my spare time I like to paddle dragon boat and outrigger, and I also occasionally participate in half-marathon races in different cities, back when we could travel freely.
Hong Kong excites me because it’s a city of contrasts, it’s one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan cities in the world, yet it’s grounded in tradition and heritage. It’s progressive and welcoming, yet there are pockets of bigotry and division that must be rooted out. It’s my home base, but it gives me the freedom and wherewithal to travel and see the world.
I was initially asked if I was interested in joining the team by a former colleague who was already involved with the Games. I was first brought on to Gay Games as a photographer during their initial bid in Paris. I stayed on ever since and assumed various roles as photographer, social media content creator, and Arts & Culture Performance curator before taking on my current role.
I joined the Gay Games in the Arts & Culture role to promote worldwide exposure of young creators in Hong Kong and Asia to a larger audience. Working in Hong Kong’s art scene for the past 7 years has introduced me to the immense talent and wealth of creativity in the region by young artists and LGBT artists who are frequently underrepresented. Gay Games 11 Hong Kong provides a safe, highly visible, and accepting platform for these young LGBT visions to be expressed and I am very excited to be a part of its facilitation.
I live in North Point, which is considered the “old side” of the island. I initially moved to Hong Kong to pursue my MFA in photography and ended up staying on as a permanent resident after graduating. I currently run my own creative services company which puts me in various roles as a photographer, video producer, and copywriter. I am also active in the Hong Kong arts scene and a member of the Hong Kong Arts Collective, contributing to the gallery exhibitions and participating in performances around the city. I am not really involved in team sports, but I remain an active weightlifter and try to keep up with a daily 5k run.
The energy of the city and the attitude of the local residents excites me in Hong Kong. It has a very unique vibe that was instrumental in my artistic inspiration and living in the city is like living in an art piece. The generosity, open-mindedness, and colourful heritage of the city has captivated me for nearly a decade and I am very excited to be a part of bringing The Gay Games to Asia’s World city.
I feel honoured and thankful to join this team and bring my creative experience to help craft this historical international event that is the embodiment of inclusiveness and peace in the name of athleticism: for everyone and open to anyone. This is an accomplishment that not so many decades ago could have been considered too dangerous to even dream of.
Creativity often eludes a specific definition. It can tie together ideas, imagination, and expectations with surprising and unexpected messages to make people feel at ease and intrinsically happy. It can also be leveraged to boost critical conscience by speaking a language nobody has heard before.
This may be our definition of creativity for the Gay Games 11 2022 in Hong Kong. We will translate the spirit of tenderness, cooperation, and fairness into images, colours and imagination, integrated into the courage, fun, and resourcefulness of a city that – for the first time ever in Asia – will officially celebrate our unity in diversity, revealing its real soul beyond sports, borders, and rainbows.
I first heard about the Gay Games when my friends Greg and Shawn, who were both involved in GGHK competed (and won a swimming medal!) in Gay Games Paris 2018. I remember being very inspired by their stories and this spurred me on to join the GGHK team in 2020. I have since really enjoyed working closely with such a fantastic group of individuals and some of the most amazing global partners, all with a shared vision and drive towards unity, inclusion and diversity.
My professional background has primarily been in global marketing communications across arts & culture, luxury and financial services, and I have lived in London, Sydney and Hong Kong. I’m passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity, and I’m keen to contribute in any way I can to GGHK to give back to an incredible place that has given me so much.
Hong Kong never fails to amaze me with its beauty, vibrancy and resilience. One minute you could be enjoying a hike on a breath-taking nature trail, next you could be visiting world-class galleries at heritage sites or having a beautiful alfresco meal by a stunning beach. There’s so much to explore in this compact city, and we have an amazing opportunity to showcase and share this with the participants who will come to join the Games.
Personally, being active has always been a part of my life, and I love being outdoors and enjoy swimming, scuba diving, hiking and recently started kickboxing. I’m a keen English football fan and enjoy attending live games whenever possible. I also enjoy watching local HK teams play. Sport unites people from different backgrounds and cultures. You bond over a shared interest and common passion, and nothing beats that adrenaline rush of being in the stadium with other supporters, seeing together the action on the field.
I’m looking forward to welcoming you all to Gay Games Hong Kong in 2023!
I saw Dennis posting about it online back in 2016 looking for help to curate the bid book. I was immediately drawn to it given its reputation of the world’s biggest LGBTQ Sports and Cultural event, and after hearing how events like this can help to encourage more people to be their true self I decided to reach out to Dennis, Co Chair Gay Games 11 Hong Kong 2022 to offer my support.
A part of me has always wanted to do something to help but didn’t know where to start, until I heard about the Gay Games. That’s when I thought…”this is the time to make an impact.”
My background comes from events, from attending to organising, I have always loved bringing people together and delivering quality experiences. However, Hong Kong doesn’t really have a lot of places, safe havens if you may, for our community to connect and find acceptance. When people gather, it’s usually about parties, glitter, sometimes drag queens. These are all important parts of our community, but I felt there could be even more.
While these are great there isn’t a true means of inclusion between the allies and us. What resonates me the most is Gay Games’ core principles: “Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best™”, it brings together people from all over the world, with diversity, respect, equality, solidarity, and sharing. Hong Kong is one of the most diverse cities in the world but we lack communities, initiatives, and resources to promote and penetrate LGBTQ equality across the city. There I thought, if we win the bid as the next host city, this will be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where I can apply what I do best to create that impact I have always wanted to create. There are literally no reasons why I should NOT join the team. I want to share my story, tell people what my identity means to me, and let those who are struggling to know that they are not alone. It is the first step to changing the hearts and minds of those not yet on board with LGBTQ acceptance.
I co-founded an event and marketing agency named Hybrid Group with focus in the fitness and wellness space. We organise a few events such as IRIS: Your Escape which is a local Fitness & Wellness Festival, and Spartan Race, an obstacle course challenge. Both events together attract 60,000 attendees in total and take place twice a year. We also help other companies to create both online and offline marketing campaigns. On the side, I have a boutique gym in Sheung Wan called House Of Fitness which I train 2-3 times a week there, and I have started practicing yoga as my new year’s resolution (in 2020) and have been going on average 3-4 times a week.
What excites me about Hong Kong is the eagerness to change and to become better is almost a life-goal for everyone here. The citizens will get behind you if you are promoting something worthwhile, and I am most excited for how the Games will only mark the beginning of the largest LGBTQ revolution in the history of this urban jungle.
The goals for Corporate Outreach are to raise awareness, create excitement and promoted sponsorship or crowdfunding opportunities.
How could anybody have missed the enthusiastic bid by Hong Kong in 2016? I was initially skeptical as to whether Hong Kong could win or even have the capacity to host the Games, but after learning more about the objectives and scope of the Games, I am very confident that the Federation of Gay Games have made the right choice and that Hong Kong will host the best Games ever.
One of my proudest achievement during my years in the finance industry was chairing a number of the Employee Resources Group (ERG) networks. This included the Pride network and being a member of the Hong Kong LGBT+ Interbank Forum, who’s mission is to support members by advising, facilitating and providing networking opportunities and thought leadership on issues impacting the LGBT+ community in Hong Kong. I have seen the direct impact that ERG and the Interbank Forum have on the financial services industry in terms of promoting best practise, inclusion and equality.
Through my volunteer role in the Games, I want to utlise this experience and promote LGBT+ inclusion by encouraging local and multi-national Corporations to participate in the Games, particularly in Asia where acceptance of LGBT+ varies across the region. Partnering with the Games sends a strong signal to a Corporate’s work force and client base that they understand the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from a moral, cultural and economic perspective.
As a retired finance professional, I have a keen interest in health & wellness and the Food & Beverage Industry. I believe it is important to challenge yourself through an active lifestyle – physically, socially and mentally. My sports includes an interest in Olympic Lifting, Tennis, Hiking and Yoga. I am contributing to the LGBT+ community in Hong Kong through my active shareholder interest in Petticoat Lane, an LGBT+ venue in Hong Kong. Our objective is not only to support and provide a safe environment for the LGBT+ community, but to create an inclusive environment for society at large.
I have been closely working with gay community because of my work in past few years. I talked to clients hiding in the closet for years, experiencing the fear and joy of coming out, having self- stigmatisation. Plus, there are stigmatisation and misunderstanding in the society.
I hope I can continue my empowerment work in gay games. We are all in the process of this equality and I would like to be a part of it.
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Currently, I am a social worker in a local NGO. I tried to run a marathon every year. I enjoy sailing a lot. I also hike with my husband and friends during weekends. Hong Kong excites me because it is just simply awesome. You can have a cup of Hong Kong milk tea in the early morning before going for a hike on the Twins, stop at Stanley Beach for a swim and then have lunch at the seaside. Going back home to take a nap. You can join your friends to have happy hours and a nice French dinner. Where else can you do that all in one day?
I first heard about the Gay Games when it came to my hometown of Sydney in 2002. After moving to Hong Kong and hearing it was coming here, I jumped at the chance to apply my professional skills to support such a great LGBTQ event.
I’ve had a long and varied career in security and resilience risk, having devoted most of my working life to the protection of others in many different forms – security, health, safety, organisational resilience and responding to various crises. The Gay Games represents a fantastic opportunity for me to contribute back to my community by making sure it goes off without disruptions and that everyone stays safe (including from COVID-19). The chance to work with such a diverse and talented volunteer team is also something that is very exciting.
I am really looking forward to bringing the Gay Games to Hong Kong as it is such a safe, beautiful and interesting city. The islands, the peaks, the amazing hiking trails, the harbour, the food and the bars! It’s been an amazing home for me in recent years and it will be awesome to see the positive impact of hosting the Gay Games in Asia for LGBTQ people from all over the world.
As someone who has spent most of his life connected with Australia, China and Hong Kong, I’ve come to experience first-hand that getting a conversation started in Hong Kong isn’t always the easiest endeavour. But this should never be a reason for us not to try.
Most of the time, the hardest part is getting started and that for me is what the Games in Hong Kong represents. Through the participation in sports, I think this is the perfect way to unite us all together. –
Hong Kong excites me because … It’s – Hong Kong is one of the only places in the world where you can run from urban city to mountain trails and be back home in time for lunch. Since moving to Hong Kong in 2015, being able to engage in sports has been a critical part of my lifestyle. Tennis, trail running, rock climbing, obstacle course racing, through engaging in all these sports, I’ve experienced firsthand the most amazing connections that can be formed just by participating together.
As a brand ambassador for Spartan Race Hong Kong, a type of obstacle course racing, I’m not going to shy away from a little “friendly” competition with the trail races, and will be excited to put on my trail shoes and give it my absolute best.
