The 2023 edition of the queer sporting event gets underway in the Swiss capital on Wednesday. The games will finish on Saturday with Bern’s Pride festival.
The 2,314 athletes who have travelled to Bern will compete in 20 sports over the coming days, including football, swimming and volleyball, organisers said on Wednesday.
Various activities and non-traditional sports are also on the agenda, including “quadball” (formerly known as quidditch, named after the sport featured in the Harry Potter books), “equality dancing” and “self-defence for queers”.
The games take place under the colours of the rainbow flag, organisers say, and aim to celebrate diversity and “provide a safe space for everyone to come together and play sports”. Those not part of the LGBTIQ community can also compete.
In addition to traditional male and female categories, the competitions include a third category for non-binary people.
The event will end on Saturday with BernPride, which will return to the capital after six years having not been held.
The EuroGames have been held annually since 1992 in a different European city. Before Bern this year, Zurich hosted the games in 2000.