First Qeltic Games huge success

4th September 2024

First Games shines spotlight on LGBTIQ+ sport

Perth, Scotland played host to the inaugural Qeltic Games last week. The Qeltic Games brought together queer teams, athletes and allies in an inclusive and inspiring environment with more than 200 participants taking part in badminton, football, golf and pickleball during this first edition.

Organised by LEAP Sports Scotland with support from Perth & Kinross Council and Live Active Leisure, and in collaboration with a host of partner organisations and volunteers, the multi-sports event was hailed as a huge success establishing a strong platform for future years. In addition to championing participation in community sport, the Games amplified the visibility and awareness of queer athletes.

Cat Shields, Director of Qeltic Games said “A huge thank you to the National Governing bodies, local sports clubs and to all the volunteers who supported this hugely successful multi-sport LGBTQI+ event. Together we have delivered a meaningful and distinctive Games experience which has amplified the visibility of queer sport within Perth and across Scotland. We’ve established a great legacy to plan for the next Qeltic Games and look forward to building upon this positive and inclusive event bringing LGBTIQ+ people together from all over the UK and beyond”.

The organisers were joined last Friday by local organisations, event partners and council representatives at a launch event hosted by Provost Xander McDade on behalf of Perth & Kinross Council.

Perth and Kinross Provost Xander McDade, said: “It was fantastic for Perth to host the inaugural Qeltic Games last weekend. We had a great turnout and I look forward to seeing the games going from strength-to-strength in years to come. I’d like to thank the organisers, participants and spectators who made this such a success for Perth and our LGBTIQ+ community.”

Munro Stevenson, Participation & Engagement Manager from LEAP Sports said “Although this is the first time we've run the Games, it's become clear that there's appetite for a community multisport tournament like this, and there's already some pressure to include different sports and to expand categories and we want to build on the success of what's been started here in Perth”.

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