Fri 4 Sep 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Craig Watson The team trying to rescue the Auckland Outgames 2016 ran out of time able to satisfy the Outgames governing body that they had enough preparations solidly in place, including Council funding support, for the event to go ahead. Speaking for the team which attempted the rescue after the previous organising organisation's board apparently summarily quit six weeks ago and walked away from its agreement with the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA), Craig Watson says they did their best but in the end it wasn't enough. In a interview last night Watson said GLISA had agreed to give the new team until the end of August to come up with a viable plan. “The things GLISA needed were a little bit difficult to try and achieve in the short amount of time available to us so we went back to them with the best of what we had come up with,” Watson says. “Obviously that was not good enough for them and so they decided, in order for us all to move on. And we agree they had to make a decision. And their decision is that they won't support it with their branding.” He says GLISA made a specific requirement that the Council provide financial support for the Games, something the previous organisers were not required to have in place. Watson admits arrangements the rescue team are putting in place are still. fairly loose, but he understands some funding is about to materialise and suggests that now that don't have to run an event based on GLISA specifications the team will be freed up to create something new with benefits for the future of Auckland, and perhaps New Zealand, glbti sport.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 4th September 2015 - 1:38am