Sports

Tennis anyone?

Local gay Capital group to play in tournament this weekend

Published

14 years ago

September 15, 2011

Kevin Majoros

A recent Capital Tennis Association meet. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Majoros)

This weekend, the Capital Tennis Association (CTA) will welcome 180 players from around the country for the Capital Classic XIX tennis tournament. The event will be contested at the Hains Point Tennis Center in East Potomac Park on both clay and hard courts.

The tournament is sanctioned by the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance, an international organization that manages and sanctions the gay tennis circuit around the world. About 10,000 players will take part in Alliance tournaments this year.

The Capital Classic will consist of the five Alliance divisions which rotate in this event each year between the clay and hard courts, giving the players a chance to compete on different surfaces and thus drawing a different mix of players each year since some of the athletes favor a particular surface.

The five divisions, which will be contested in both singles and doubles, have been developed by the Alliance to enable some uniformity in pairing players with similar abilities. A player rates himself based on the guidelines and is then placed in a division.

Funding of the tournament comes from fees and money donated by local businesses with Brandon Green & Associates being the signature sponsor. Surplus funds are then donated to local charities. This year’s benefactors are the Mautner Project, Food & Friends and the Team D.C. Scholarship Fund.

The Capital Tennis Association was formed in 1994 and is one of the largest and most active LGBT sports groups in the area. The current membership base is around 300 players with annual dues being $50.

The CTA offers many avenues for tennis players to advance their skills and meet other players. Their two-hour drill session series has resulted in an incredible demand and Walker Chaffin, CTA coordinator, says the drill series has become so popular, they are hoping to initiate more in the future. Proceeds from the sessions are donated to SMYAL.

The group also hosts leagues at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, Fairfax Racquet Club, George Washington Tennis Center and the Hains Point Tennis Center. There are currently a total of 20 leagues broken apart by three seasons — fall (Oct. to Dec.), winter (Jan. to April) and summer (May to Sept.). The leagues are offered on both weeknight and weekends and are available in both singles and doubles play.

If you don’t have a partner to play doubles with, they will assign one to you. The leagues draw about 200 players and they do have a sub list for players who join late or cannot commit to the whole season.

Eddie Engles, CTA president, was excited to tell me about the new beginner’s indoor league, which starts next month. Beginner players will have the opportunity to play singles and a rotating doubles format. The doubles teams will rotate players so the newbies can experience playing with different partners and forge new friendships. For those who are worried they don’t have the proper gear to play, the CTA listserv can offer a chance to pick up used equipment.

Twice a year, the CTA holds a club championships tournament, which serves up a fun tennis weekend for league players. For many, it’s an opportunity to experience a tournament format for the first time.

And finally, for all you armchair experts, the CTA offers up Fantasy Tennis. At the beginning of the year, you select a team of five players who are on the Alliance and/or Association of Tennis Professionals tours. Each time a member of your team wins a match at each of the four Grand Slams and the Sony Ericsson tournament, you score points that could lead you to be the Fantasy Tennis champion. There’s a cash prize for the winner and the remaining proceeds are donated to charity.

Get yourself out to East Potomac Park this weekend and check out our tennis athletes in action. They can also be found at capital-tennis.org.

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Sports

‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to participate in Olympic torch relay

Games to take place next month in Italy

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2026

Staff reports

(Photo courtesy of Crave HBO Max)

“Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will participate in the Olympic torch relay ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics that will take place next month in Italy.

HBO Max, which distributes “Heated Rivalry” in the U.S., made the announcement on Thursday in a press release.

The games will take place in Milan and Cortina from Feb. 6-22. The HBO Max announcement did not specifically say when Williams and Storrie will participate in the torch relay.

Sports

Capitals to host 10th annual Pride night

Pre-game block party planned at District E

Published

2 weeks ago

January 16, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Washington Capitals will host Pride Night on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they host the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena. A special ticket offer featuring a Pride-themed Capitals rainbow jersey is available at washcaps.com.

Fans are invited to a pre-game Block Party at District E beginning at 5 p.m. The event will feature a performance by the band NovaKane. Specialty happy hour food and beverages will be available, as well as giveaways. There will also be a presence by several local LGBTQ+ community organizations.

Egypt

Iran, Egypt object to playing in Seattle World Cup ‘Pride Match’

Game to take place on June 26

Published

2 months ago

December 11, 2025

Michael K. Lavers

(Photo by fifg/Bigstock)

Iran and Egypt have objected to playing in a “Pride Match” that will take place in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup.

The Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday said it told FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström in a letter that “it categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran, scheduled to be held in Seattle, USA, on June 26, 2026, in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj told ISNA, a semi-official Iranian news agency that both his country and Egypt “protested this issue.”

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.

The State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes that while Egyptian law “did not explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, authorities regularly arrested and prosecuted LGBTQI+ persons on charges including ‘debauchery,’ prostitution, and ‘violating family values.’” Egyptian authorities “also reportedly prosecuted LGBTQI+ individuals for ‘misuse of social media.’”

“This resulted in de facto criminalization of same-sex conduct and identity,” notes the report.

The 2024 human rights report the State Department released earlier this year did not include LGBTQ-specific references.

Soccer has ‘unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs’

The June 26 match between Iran and Egypt coincides with Seattle Pride. The Washington Post reported the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee decided to hold the “Pride Match” before last week’s draw.

“As the Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,” said SeattleFWC26 Vice President of Communications Hana Tadesse in a statement the committee sent to the Washington Blade on Wednesday. “SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”

“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs,” added Tadeese. “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle. We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region.”

The 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death in the country. The 2022 World Cup took place in neighboring Qatar, despite concerns over the country’s anti-LGBTQ rights record.