Sports
Gay games galore
Winter growth means many local Team D.C. leagues at capacity for spring
Team D.C. Fashion Show (Washington Blade photo by Jonathan Ellis)
The LGBT sports community of Washington continued to grow over the winter months. The leagues are all at full capacity and new teams are popping up every few months. Most of the groups are in training for Gay Games 9 to be held in Cleveland/Akron in August. Several of the teams are offering Gay Games scholarships for those in need.
The Team D.C. Fashion Show & Model Search will be held on Saturday at Town with the doors opening at 7 p.m. Clothes will be auctioned off the models to fund the Team D.C. College Scholarship Program which grants awards to local, openly gay student athletes. This year’s show features fashions from Tattee Boy, Mensuas, UnderBriefs, T Christopher New York, Fireboy, Adam & Eve, Skiviez, Body Aware and Universal Gear.
The Team D.C. SportsFest is coming on April 10 at 6 p.m. at Room & Board. This is a great opportunity to meet and greet with members of about 30 LGBT sports teams from the area and enjoy cocktails on the outdoor deck.
Team D.C. will host Night OUT at the Wizards on March 28 as the Wizards take on the Indiana Pacers at the Verizon Center. Tickets are $20 (normally $36 at the box office).
Stonewall Dodgeball kicked off its inaugural season this week with play on Tuesday nights at the Cleveland Elementary School. Registration for the league sold out fast and was capped at 100 players.
Also new in town is TriOut, an LGBT offshoot of the D.C. Triathlon Club. The group will target regular triathlon races along with LGBT-themed events such as Pride Run, Swim for Life and the Gay Games.
The D.C. Sentinels basketball team is wrapping up its third season of the Washington, D.C. Gay Basketball League. On April 5, members will be sending teams to compete in the Coady Roundball Classic in Chicago.
The Capital Area Rainbowlers Association is hosting its Crazy Bowling Tournament, a singles event, on March 8 at the AMF Annandale Lanes in Annandale, Va. On March 29, they will host the CARA Championship Tournament at AMF Centreville Lanes in Centreville, Md.
The D.C. Gay Flag Football League will kick off its eighth season with 20 teams vying for the spring championship title. Registration capped out at 260 players, but you can still sign up for the supplemental draft, which begins after week three.
The Washington Renegades Rugby Football Club began its spring season last week with league play scheduled to run through May 10.
Charm City Volleyball will host the Charm City Invitational 29 on March 29-30 at the Volleyball House in Elkridge, Md. Recreational volleyball is hosted on Wednesday nights and competitive play on Sunday mornings.
The D.C. Strokes Rowing Club is hosting Winter Erg Training through March 13. Their Learn to Row Program begins registration in early March and offers an introduction to the sport of rowing and the opportunity to advance to their Novice Program. The XXI Stonewall Regatta will be held on June 1 on the Anacostia River.
Registration events for the 2014 summer season of the Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League begin this month. The season begins on May 4 and their MAGIC Tournament will be contested on July 5-6.
The spring league of the Capital Tennis Association will run from March to May and the spots filled up quickly. Registration for the summer league will open on April 1 and will run from May to September.
The Federal Triangles Soccer Club with be holding the fifth annual FTSC Women’s Winter Wrap-Up Indoor Cup on March 23 at the Dulles Sportsplex. Registration for the Summer of Freedom League will open in late April.
Season six of Stonewall Bocce will begin on March 20 at Logan Circle. Registration is closed but you can still get on the waiting list.
The North American Gay Volleyball Championships XXXII will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from May 22-25. The event will be co-hosted by New York’s Gotham Volleyball and Capital City Volleyball.
UltimateOUT Frisbee is offering Frisbee play for members of the LGBT community at all levels including beginners on Saturdays starting in March.
The spring season has also begun for Washington Scandals Rugby. Practices are being held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Garrison Elementary School.
Stonewall Kickball begins its spring season which runs from March 23 to May 11 at Stead Field on Sundays. The group also offers Thursday night play in conjunction with D.C. Kickball.
Sports
‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to participate in Olympic torch relay
Games to take place next month in Italy
“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.
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
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.
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