In closing, we feel it's only right to pay tribute to the man who brought the Gay Games to the world; Tom Waddell. Waddell was a decathlete who represented the USA in the 1968 Olympics, playing 6th out of the 33 competitors. He would probably have gone on to achieve more in his track and field career, but a knee injury picked up during a high jump event in 1972 ended his career prematurely.
Returning to San Francisco after his retirement he entered a gay bowling league, which gave him the idea of creating a more extensive gay sports tournament. He tried to stage the first 'Gay Olympics' in 1982 in San Francisco but couldn't use the 'Olympic' part of the name after being sued, so it became the Gay Games. The tournament continues to this day, having last been held in Paris in 2018, but sadly Waddell would only see the first two tournament, passing away due to AIDS in 1987. His last words were "Well, this should be interesting."