Gay Games open in Hong Kong after year-long delay

More than a thousand athletes gathered in a Hong Kong stadium on Saturday to open the Gay Games, the first time the international LGBTQ sporting event has come to Asia. Brightly dressed athlete delegations marched into the Queen Elizabeth Stadium brandishing their national flags and rainbow banners, to cheers and booming party music.
Nearly 2,400 people will compete across 18 categories, which are open to both LGBTQ and heterosexual athletes. Hong Kong does not permit same-sex marriage and there is no law against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The city's top court in September rejected gay marriage but ordered the government to set up an "alternative framework" to recognize same-sex couples' rights.