Fri 9 Oct 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Registrations have opened for the inaugural Proud to Play NZ sports tournament which has stepped in to replace the collapsed effort to run the international Outgames event in Auckland. Eleven sports have been lined up, including badminton, bridge, dancesport, golf, lawn bowls, ocean swim, road running, swimming, ten pin bowling, touch rugby, and volleyball. Hockey, tennis, netball and squash are also likely to be confirmed. Opening registrations is a significant milestone in creating the event, says Craig Watson who is leading the all-volunteer team behind the event. "We are so excited... it represents a significant achievement that our team, our sponsors, our partners and especially our participants can be proud of." Watson expects that the February 13 - 20 tournament will attract over 500 participants from across the Asia-Pacific region. "We've been working closely with local, regional and international LGBTIF teams and sports organisations," he says. "Their advice is that we should expect around 500 people participating which is fantastic and we know the community will show those from out of town a great time here." Intending participants can register for the sports competitions through the Proud to Play website linked below.