LOS ANGELES, CALIF., June 21, 2016 — The Los Angeles Volleyball Organization (LAVO) is putting the City of Angels on the global stage by announcing that it is bidding to bring the 2022 Gay Games to Los Angeles. The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) announced that Los Angeles is included on its initial list of 17 cities in three continents bidding for Gay Games XI to be held in 2022. LAVO entered the bid backed by enthusiastic sports, political and LGBT support networks.

Now is the time and Los Angeles is the place.

“The timing is right!” said Eric Gonzales, Executive Vice President, LAVO. “Our bid will be a collaborative effort with the support of the City of West Hollywood, Visit West Hollywood Tourism Office, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, the Mayor of the City Los Angeles’ Office, the Sports and Entertainment and Sports Commission of the City of Los Angeles and several others. With the support of these powerful and influential organizations that have offered to assist us in getting our bid in the hands of the Federation, we are confident we will have a strong bid.”

The nonprofit cites many reasons that Los Angeles is the ideal choice as the host of the Gay Games. It is the best place for athletes, with optimum climate, tested training and competing facilities; the best place for visitors, with world-class entertainment and cultural opportunities to enjoy outside the Games’ experience, plus easy accessibility to venues, and is the best place for the LGBT community, with more than 40 percent LGBT population in Los Angeles County. The city has also entered a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

LAVO, a West Hollywood based nonprofit founded in 2011, is centered on promoting interest in the sport of volleyball, providing training in the skills and techniques of the sport whiling fostering teamwork, sportsmanship and an appreciation for health and wellness. In six years, LAVO has grown to host three league seasons, more than 30 hours a week of open play volleyball for the community, four sanctioned NAGVA (North American Gay Volleyball Association) tournaments — the only organization to host more than one in the nation — two one-day tournaments, clinics and training sessions, and a membership count of more than 2,500. In addition, the organization launched a successful multi-sport festival in 2015, which saw nearly 1,000 recreational athletes compete in tournaments at UCLA.

“We have a great leadership board, a fully operational event, creative, marketing and communications team, as well as a strong volunteer base,” said Ray Robles, President, LAVO. “We are uniquely positioned with the support of the LGBT community to handle the bidding process. It’s an exciting opportunity to work in a space that can lead the charge in awareness in inclusion. The work will be a labor of love.”

About LAVO

The Los Angeles Volleyball Organization (LAVO) was initially conceived in early 2010. Volleyball enthusiasts and longtime friends co-founded the idea of creating a group that could provide the residents of Los Angeles with structured and organized volleyball that would foster competition and build friendships. Fast forward to May 2011, after hosting successful tournaments, clinics, and other events, the Los Angeles Volleyball Organization, Inc. was founded with the state of California as a nonprofit organization.

For more information visit www.playlavo.org

About the Federation of Gay Games

Built upon the principles of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best™, since 1982 the Gay Games have empowered thousands of LGBT athletes and artists through sport, culture, and fellowship. The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982. Subsequent Gay Games were held in San Francisco (1986), Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), Sydney (2002), Chicago (2006), Cologne (2010), and Cleveland+Akron (2014). Gay Games 10 will be held in Paris 2018.