Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr opened the International Gay and Lesbian (IGLA) Championships at the Laugardalslaug swimming pool yesterday morning, ending his speech with: “Swim if you’re glad to be gay. Swim if you’re happy that way.”
Archive photo by Páll Stefánsson.
There are approximately 450 participants in the IGLA sports that include conventional swimming, open water swimming, water polo, diving and synchro, which take place in Laugardalslaug and Sundhöllin in the city center, as reported on reykjavik.is.
“We were challenged to host the championship over a beer in Copenhagen three years ago. We accepted the challenge,” Jón Þór Þorleifsson, one of the event’s main organizers, which is held by the gay and lesbian sports association Styrmir, told Fréttablaðið.
All are welcome to come watch and admission is free. Other events will also he held in conjunction with the championship, which runs until June 2. The organizers were expecting up to 1,000 visitors.
Click here for further information about IGLA and related events.
ESA
