Sports
Team D.C. athletes capture 231 medals at Paris Gay Games
Area swimmers shatter 15 IGLA records at quadrennial summit
Washington-area athletes at this month’s Gay Games in Paris. (Washington Blade photo by Kevin Majoros)
The 10th edition of the Gay Games ended on Aug. 11 in Paris. About 10,000 athletes from 91 countries vied for medals in 36 sports.
Athletes from Team D.C. hauled in 231 medals in 13 sports with the swimmers from District of Columbia Aquatics Club leading the way with 121 medals. The swimmers competed at the swimming venue of the 1924 Olympics and D.C. swimmers shattered 15 IGLA (International LGBT Aquatics) world records.
“I think Team DC represented very strong and we had a very diverse group of athletes. I am so proud of everyone,” says Brent Minor, founder and executive director of Team D.C. who was attending his seventh Gay Games. “It was nice meeting people who were competing at the Gay Games for the first time. These Games completely reinforced my belief that this event is good for our community, especially on an international scale. It’s nice to be reminded of that every four years.”
A couple things noted this year were that Team D.C. had sports couples competing together in swimming, rowing, golf, tennis, road running and volleyball.
Also noted from conversations with athletes from around the world is that some older athletes are switching to sports that have less impact on their bodies. Their desire to compete is still strong and they are finding new sports to remain tied to the Gay Games.
The next edition of the Gay Games will be contested in Hong Kong in 2022 and marks the first time that the event has been held in Asia.
A Gay Games reunion and celebration party is in the works for mid-September for all the D.C. athletes and their friends.
Below is a list of the Team D.C. medal winners.
Swimming
Sara Hewitt – 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze
Craig Franz – 6 Gold
Jay Fisette – 4 Gold, 4 Silver
Matt Kinney – 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Logan Dawson – 3 Gold, 2 Bronze
Barry Haddan – 4 Gold, 1 Silver
Neill Williams – 6 Gold, 1 Silver
Noura Hemady – 5 Gold, 3 Silver
Dawson Nash – 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze
Amr El-Sayed – 6 Gold, 1 Silver
Patrick Barrett – 2 Gold, 1 Silver
Tommy Scibilia – 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Jerry Frentsos – 8 Gold
Jeff Mead – 4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Jay Calhoun – 3 Gold
Corey Carlisle – 3 Gold, 1 Silver
Kevin Majoros – 3 Gold
Arthur Staub – 3 Gold
Jack Markey – 2 Gold, 1 Silver
Brent Quinn – 1 Silver
Eric Czander – 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
John Tustin – 1 Gold
Drew Fitzmorris – 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Greg Koch – 1 Gold
Fred Dever – 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze
Open Water Swimming
Jay Calhoun – 1 Gold
Drew Fitzmorris – 1 Bronze
Craig Franz – 1 Gold
Soccer
Earl Armstrong – 1 Silver
John Corr – 1 Silver
Geoff Duvall – 1 Silver
Emory Ellis – 1 Silver
Jim Ensor – 1 Silver
Ross Furbush – 1 Silver
DJ Holland – 1 Silver
Oliver Jacob – 1 Silver
Ian Jenkins – 1 Silver
Kyle McAleese – 1 Silver
Alex Paterson – 1 Silver
Kevin Smith – 1 Silver
Zach Straus – 1 Silver
Mark Summerside – 1 Silver
Kevin Taylor – 1 Silver
Scott Teribury – 1 Silver
Brandon Warner – 1 Silver
John Whitfield – 1 Silver
Craig Williams – 1 Silver
Track & Field
Jeff Dutton – 1 Bronze
Allison Brager – 8 Gold, 1 Silver
Thomas Nguyen – 3 Gold, 1 Bronze
Prakash D’souza – 1 Bronze
Scott Teribury – 1 Silver
Road Running
Lennie Carter – 1 Bronze
Grace Thompson – 1 Silver
Joan Bellsey – 1 Gold
Maura Hackett – 2 Bronze
Fencing
Andrew Byun – 1 Bronze
Golf
John Guzman – 1 Gold, 1 Bronze
Steve Sparks – 1 Bronze
Paul Sliwka – 1 Bronze
Triathlon
Leslie Hill – 1 Bronze
Hunter Gaiotti – 1 Bronze
Bryan Frank – 1 Gold
Philip Deeter – 1 Bronze
Bowling
Matthew Todd-Adrik – 1 Bronze
Tennis
Reese Scott – 2 Gold
Tim Murphy – 1 Silver
Mateo Barney – 1 Bronze
Robbie Cao – 1 Bronze
Vincent Travaglione – 1 Bronze
Rowing
Jeff Morrison – 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Steve O’Banion – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Joey Bowman – 1 Silver
Pedro Falto – 2 Silver
Brian Hackney – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Joseph McGuirk – 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Berin Szoka – 1 Bronze
Samir Bitar – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Jude Graham – 1 Silver
Rondel Milton – 1 Silver
Nate Swinton – 1 Silver
John Lucier – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Lindsay Cochrane – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Volleyball
Bill Christmas – 1 Gold
Mike Snyder – 1 Gold
John Wang – 1 Gold
Jason Tolton – 1 Gold
Alex Benjamin – 1 Gold
Jesse Anderson – 1 Gold
Gabriel Saucedo – 1 Gold
Eric Brielmann – 1 Gold
Will Hansen – 1 Gold
Steve Post – 1 Bronze
Kevin Galens – 1 Bronze
Kent Hansen – 1 Bronze
Michael Gordon – 1 Bronze
Adam Bocek – 1 Bronze
Tim Claus – 1 Bronze
Jack Fleming – 1 Bronze
Kyle Anthony – 1 Bronze
George Atiyeh – 1 Gold
David Chang – 1 Gold
Joshua Schwartz – 1 Gold
Austin Bowen – 1 Gold
Tyler Jacob – 1 Gold
Lynn Katoa – 1 Gold
Julian Dawson – 1 Gold
Tim Mechlinski – 1 Gold
Basketball
Tim Francis – 1 Silver
David Monroe – 1 Silver
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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