The Gay Games is the world’s largest sporting gathering for the LGBTQ+ community, built around the pillars of participationinclusion and personal best. This international multi-sport festival brings together thousands of competitors and spectators for a week of sport, culture and social events. While the event rotates globally every four years, a significant contingent of Australian athletes have travelled to Valencia with ambitions that range from personal achievement to community visibility.
Beyond the competition, the Gay Games function as a social and political stage: they create a space where athletes can perform at their best while also being visible members of the queer community. Australia will later host the Games in Perth 2030 but for now many Australians are focused on the immediate excitement and connection Valencia offers.
Australian competitors on the ground in Valencia
Several Australians shared their reasons for attending, each reflecting different sporting backgrounds and personal journeys. From tennis courts to fairways and basketball courts, the roster shows the breadth of participation the Games encourage. The presence of club teams and individual entrants highlights how the event mixes social sport with serious competition.
Billy Tusker: tennis and running for focus and escape
From Sydney, Billy Tusker combined language practice with sport before the opening ceremonies. Billy is competing in tennis and in the 5km and 10km runs. For Billy, sport is as much a mental refuge as a physical challenge. The intense concentration required in a match—anticipating opponents, solving tactical problems—offers a temporary respite from daily stresses and global anxieties, particularly those affecting queer communities. Having previously taken part in the Games in Hong Kong, Billy described the experience as a joyful chance to feel like a professional athlete for a few days and to reconnect with old friends while making new ones.
Jacqui Walter: from stage to sports tee
Daylesford golfer Jacqui Walter brings a creative background to her first time playing golf at the Gay Games. Jacqui previously performed with a lesbian folk/rock/pop band at a past edition of the Games in Amsterdam and remembers the combination of performance and celebration—playing on a stage set in a canal and enjoying the after-parties. This time she will focus on competing in golf and she highlighted the emotional importance of gathering with thousands of queer people in one place amid challenging political climates back home in Australia and abroad. For Jacqui, the Games are a rare opportunity for uninhibited community presence.
Phil Mitchell and the Spectres: basketball, belonging and visibility
Phil Mitchell, a long-time competitive basketball player from Melbourne, will make his Gay Games debut with a strong connection to his local chapter of Spectres Australia. For Phil, sport provided a path from shyness to social confidence; the club network and friendships have been transformative. He emphasised that sport can carry powerful messages when athletes are open about their identities—visibility from the court can challenge stereotypes and help normalise queer presence in mainstream sports.
Mark Calleja: competing openly after coming out
Brisbane photographer Mark Calleja will run sprints in Valencia and attends the Games accompanied by his partner, Nigel. Having come out later in life, Mark says competing at a global gathering that celebrates queer athletes is liberating: he can race without hiding who he is. He also pointed to ongoing global disparities—sexual orientation and gender identity remain criminalised in many countries—underscoring why inclusive international events carry broader human-rights significance.
Why the Gay Games matter for sport and community
The Gay Games emphasise both competition and camaraderie. Their founding tenets—participationinclusion and personal best—are implemented through open-entry policies, a wide range of sports and mixed levels of experience. For many athletes, the event is less about podiums and more about being seen and accepted while pursuing athletic goals. This cultural dimension is highlighted when competitors march together during opening ceremonies or gather for social programming that runs alongside sporting schedules.
At a time when debates about trans inclusion and rights in sport are highly visible, the Games send a clear message: athletic fields and courts can be spaces of welcome for diverse identities. Australian participants travelling to Valencia are carrying not only sporting ambitions, but also local stories and connections that will feed into preparations for Perth 2030. Their experiences overseas will help shape how clubs, organisers and communities approach hosting and participation back home.
Whether chasing medals, personal records or new friendships, the Australians in Valencia represent the broader aims of the Gay Games: to celebrate sport, promote inclusion and provide a stage where athletes can perform as their authentic selves. Many will return home with memories, learning and momentum that will feed into the Australian community’s role in the next edition hosted in Perth.
