The Gay Games were started in 1982 by Tom Waddell, an Olympic athlete who wanted to have a similar event for the LGBT community worldwide. The eighth version, 2010, of the Games was held in the gay-friendly city of Cologne, Germany. There were about 9000 athletes who participated in 35 sports. In addition there were cultural events–choral and orchestral concerts, art shows, an AIDS memorial run, city tours and theme parties every night. This gallery is a small sampling of the week’s events. GlobalGayz‘ owner Richard Ammon competed in the swimming events which accounts for the many swim images here.