EuroGames 2020 Düsseldorf seeks postponement solution

The organisers of EuroGames 2020 Düsseldorf are considering how to work out a postponement following the German government’s decision to extend the ban on major events until the end of August because of the coronavirus pandemic.

EuroGames 2020 Düsseldorf gUG and the European Gay & Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) say they fully support the measures, but they mean the LSBTIQ sports festival, which has been in preparation for years, cannot take place in Düsseldorf from August 5-9 as planned.

In a statement EuroGames 2020 said: ‘Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, the EGLSF has been in close communication with the Düsseldorf EuroGames organisers and is working on a solution to maintain EuroGames in Duesseldorf.

‘Therefore, the current decision is not a cancellation of the EuroGames 2020 Düsseldorf. Rather, a postponement of the date is currently being considered. No easy task, after all the EuroGames for 2021 and 2022 are already scheduled. In August next year they are scheduled to take place in Copenhagen, and Nijmegen is already preparing for the games the year after next.’

Goetz Fellrath, co-managing director of the EuroGames 2020 Duesseldorf gUG, said: ‘Düsseldorf was awarded the contract for the EuroGames 2020 four years ago. The clubs and numerous volunteer organisers have been working intensively for years to host the games in Düsseldorf. A complete cancellation of the event would therefore be a catastrophe for our team. We are working with all parties involved to find a good solution for a postponement of the EuroGames 2020 Düsseldorf.’

It is not yet clear what this could look like. Fellrath said a cancellation of the EuroGames in Düsseldorf would be the worst possible solution.

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