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Jess Fishlock: Welsh football great ‘honoured’ to be EuroGames ambassador


The EuroGames were founded in the early 1990s following the second global Gay Games in San Francisco in 1986, as a more accessible event for LGBTQ+ Europeans.

Manchester was due to hold the 1999 edition but it was cancelled amid financial issues – and Birmingham and London have previously made bids to host.

“What’s not fun about these events?” said Fishlock. “They can be so open and caring.

“Sport is such a gateway to amazing life experiences. You don’t have to be a professional to enjoy that.”

The EuroGames are independently governed by the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation and follows its own rules regarding participation, meaning transgender people can compete in the category aligned with their lived gender.

Numerous national and international sports governing bodies have banned transgender women from competing in female categories amid concerns over fairness and safety.

Some acted after a Supreme Court ruling last year that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

Fishlock hopes the EuroGames can help combat a “stigma” around transgender people in sport.

“That is a big part of the EuroGames,” she said. “It is hard to really address the situation without getting into politics, which is difficult for a lot of people.

“The stigma makes it difficult, so hopefully we can take away some of the fear that creates hate.

“It is a polarising topic, but hopefully by bringing it into Wales we can spread visibility and education.”

A EuroGames spokesperson told BBC Sport conversations were ongoing with the Welsh government on the topic, while saying they fully support trans athletes competing in events aligned with their gender identity.

“Sport and physical activity should be for everyone,” they said. “We want to make EuroGames accessible to everyone, including straight allies. The only way you can fight hate is with love.”



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