Organisers of the Gay Games Hong Kong (GGHK) have said that its event last year generated HK$200 million for the local economy, with contributions made to sectors from retail to entertainment.
The nine-day event in early November drew around 5,600 visitors, including 2,380 participants, to its sporting competitions, concerts, as well as its opening and closing ceremonies, according to a statement last week.
Organisers estimated that visitors’ and participants’ “indirect and direct” spending contributed HK$95 million to the economy, while spending by GGHK was close to HK$60 million. They said GGHK had benefitted local businesses in the hotel, restaurants, entertainment and retail industry.
The Hong Kong edition was also the first Gay Games funded solely by corporate and private donations without government support, the statement added.
“[Participants] were grateful to have helped create history by supporting the LGBTQ+ community to stage the first Gay Games in Asia,” said GGHK co-chairs Lisa Lam and Alan Lang.
The event went ahead amid criticism from anti-gay groups and lawmakers who claimed the events were “subverting Chinese culture and traditional family values” and “a threat to national security.”
Such claims were refuted by top government adviser Regina Ip, who officiated the opening ceremony of GGHK. Ip, also the chairperson of the pro-establishment New People’s Party, said the hosting of GGHK was a “strong testimony to the city’s diversity, inclusion and unity” during her opening remarks.
Joanie Evans, co-president of the Federation of Gay Games, told HKFP after the event’s closing ceremony that she hoped the event could demonstrate diversity and proximity to those who may hold misunderstandings towards the LGBTQ community.
Lam and Lang said the event was met with challenges “particularly in securing venues.” In 2021, HKFP reported that authorities had not made any special arrangements to facilitate venue bookings, despite several appeals from organisers.
Explainer: What is Hong Kong’s Gay Games and why has it seen so much controversy?
Hong Kong was originally the sole host of the games, but it was eventually co-hosted by the Mexican city of Guadalajara after a year of postponement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which organisers said had also taken a blow to sign-ups and publicity efforts for the event.
The HK$200 million economic impact also fell short of the initial estimates of HK$1 billion.
Whilst same-sex sexual activity was legalised in 1991, Hong Kong has no laws to protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination in employment, the provision of goods and services, or from hate speech. Equal marriage remains illegal, although a 2023 survey showed that 60 per cent of Hongkongers support it.
Despite repeated government appeals, courts have granted those who married – or who entered civil partnerships – abroad some recognition in terms of tax, spousal visas and public housing.
Last September, the top court handed a partial victory to the LGBTQ community, ruling in a case lodged by pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham that the government has to provide an alternative legal framework that recognises same-sex relationships.
The decision, however, stopped short of granting full marriage rights to same-sex couples in the city.
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