Dennis Philipse, Founder and Co-Chair Gay Games Hong Kong and Emery Fung, Volunteer at Gay Games Hong Kong talk about inclusion through the power of sports. 

In this episode, Dennis and Emery fill us in on how the preparations for Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 are going. Dennis Philipse is the founder and co-chair of Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 and when you hear him share about how he managed to bring the Gay Games to Asia in the first place you will not believe that he did that all while having a full-time job. Now he dedicates all his volunteering working hours to the Gay Games.

More than 180 volunteers help bring the Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 to life, one of them is fellow Podcaster Emery Fung, a corporate recruiter by trade with a big passion for making an impact with his work.

Sustainable Development Goal 10 targets reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Events like the Gay Games and their long-term impact will play an instrumental part to do just that.

In Season 5, we sit down with stakeholders working across numerous sectors and industries, to find a common language to address, measure, and demonstrate the impact that they are making in tackling the 17 Global Goals.

From Berlin to New York, from Honolulu to Hong Kong, our #impact hosts bring you stories from all over the globe as you find inspiration on how to make an #impact in your community too.

In this episode, we highlight SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities.

The mission of the Gay Games is to promote equality for all, and in particular for LGBTQ+ people throughout the world.

Athletes, artists, and advocates come together every four years for the world’s largest sports and cultural event open to all, the Gay Games have created and nurtured a movement that has become among the greatest forces for community empowerment and social change.

Participating in the Gay Games has been a life-changing experience for thousands from all walks of life. Dennis Philipse is one of them. In our conversation he shares how being a spectator at the Gay Games in Amsterdam in the Nineties has inspired him. Now he is bringing a community and place of belonging to Asia.

A sense of belonging, that he simply did not experience as a young boy in gym class when he would feel like he did not fit in.

Emery Fung’s story is different. Born female, he started undergoing his medical transition last year. From an early stage sport was his only place of belonging.

I was born female, and I went to all girls school all my life. And sport was kind of the only place, in the environment that it creates, that I felt safe to really be myself and kind of have that masculine touch when I was younger, so that was kind of something that I’ve always been very happy with you know, doing sports playing sports.

Emery Fung

As you listen in, you will hear Emery share about the role volunteering with Gay Games has become in his life as it opened new opportunities, but most importantly new communications with his parents.

The legacy of the Gay Games

There are three stages: The build-up, organizing the event, then secondly is the event itself, the nine days event, but then afterwards, the real impact starts. Because people who have participated in the games, they go back to their communities to their countries, and there, they start telling their stories, they start building LGBTQ support groups, and then you really will see how the impact the legacy will continue.

Dennis Philipse

Listen in to hear about the bidding process to bring the Gay Games to Asia for the first time and what you can do to get involved.

Find all links mentioned in the episode as well as the full transcription here.

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