Thu 8 Jul 2010 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Don Barclay proudly sporting his Wellington shirt A small team of dedicated athletes will wave the flag for Wellington at the Cologne Gay Games, which open at the end of this month. Don Barclay is attending his sixth Gay Games, hoping to add to his haul of medals. He won the first of his nine golds in Vancouver in 1990, competing in badminton. Barclay switched to competing in discus in Chicago in 2006 and will be battling for more glory in discus and shot put in Cologne. David Frost and Hamish Allardice are competing in swimming, with both lining up in relay and individual races. Allardice was a member of the Wellington team that won several medals in swimming at the Outgames in Copenhagen last year. He will also use the trip to promote the AsiaPacific Outgames 2011, which are being held in Wellington in March, as he is on the organising committee. The capital also has representation in squash, as well as in the more cultural side of the games through the NZ Singers, an amalgam of Auckland group GALS and Wellington group Homophones. They will sing in a concert on August 1 in Cologne. A hub will be set up for New Zealand and Australian attendees at the games at Café Bastard in central Cologne. This will be an opportunity for competitors and supporters to keep up with city team news, result listings and provide a meeting point. The Cologne couple who are hosting Hamish Allardice for the duration of the games are organising a "BBQ Extravaganza" and "Kiwi-German get together". The invitation is being extended to all Kiwis' attending the Gay Games. Most Wellington participants are using the trip to visiting other countries in Europe before and after the Games so it will be some time before everyone gets back home.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 8th July 2010 - 4:37pm