Colorful and brave: Queer Sports photo exhibition opens in Vienna!

Colorful and brave: Queer Sports photo exhibition opens in Vienna!

Wien, Österreich - On May 17, 2025, the photo exhibition "Queer Sports" was opened by Vice Mayor Bettina Emmerling in the Vienna City Hall. The opening date fell on the international day against gay, bi-, inter- and transthobia (Idahobit) and thus underlined the social relevance of the event. Together with exhibition curator Wolfgang Wilhelm and Eurogames Vienna-Ko President Maria Schinko, Emmerling presented an exhibition that addresses queer people in sports and various sports offers for queer people. The aim of the exhibition is to highlight the importance of sport for physical and mental health as well as teamwork and respect.

A special recording that the Viennese submission to the exhibition comes from photographer Renate Schwarzmüller and shows moments of the Eurogames 2024 in Vienna. This event is considered the greatest regular LGBTIQ*sports event in Europe. Emmerling emphasized how important the Eurogames are for the city, the sports world and especially the queer community. However, Wolfgang Wilhelm pointed out the dark side of sport, such as pressure to perform and discrimination, which often lead to many queer people, already staying away in school.

Eurogames in Vienna

The Eurogames, which started on Wednesday with a colorful opening ceremony at Karlsplatz in Vienna, attract 4,000 athletes from 50 nations. This sporting event offers 31 different sports, including tennis, badminton and football and is the first time that Austria organizes the Eurogames. Organizer Thomas Nobis emphasized the inclusive nature of the event and its importance for the community. The Austrian television star Conchita Wurst brought the participants and spectators to cheer.

With financial support of 150,000 euros and the provision of numerous sports facilities, the city of Vienna is actively promoting the Eurogames. This underlines Vienna's commitment in the promotion of diversity and acceptance in sport. The Eurogames are not only a competition, but also a festival of diversity and joie de vivre, with the motto "Embrace diversity" illustrating the basic principle.

challenges for queer athletes

you look at the comprehensive search for inclusion in sport; The sports industry shows a partial opening towards LGBTQ+ people. Studies show that acceptance towards lesbians, gays, bi- and panseexuals grows, while transsexuals, intersex and non-binary people are still facing challenges. Initiatives such as "Sports Media LGBT+" are actively committed to inclusion in the sports media industry and try to reduce barriers.

, however, it should be noted that despite a positive development, the industry often remains behind expectations with regard to the inclusion of transsexual or non-binary people. However, visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in sports are on the rise, which is further funded by events such as the photo exhibition "Queer Sports" and the Eurogames. The RCN-Rainbow Cities network, which includes founding members Vienna, plays a central role in this by discussing and supporting local approaches in anti-discrimination and equality policy.

The photo exhibition "Queer Sports" can be seen daily from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Arkadenhof of the Vienna City Hall with free admission. A visit is worthwhile to discover the diverse perspectives on queer people in sport and to recognize their importance for an integrative society.

For more information on the topics and events, please visit the following links: Presse Vienna , Euronews href = "https://www.ispo.com/culture/lgbtq-im-sport-zer-ist-nicht-like-queer" Class = "Source_3"> Isspo .