Organizers of the multi-sport Sin City Classic report that registration is open for 18 sports for next year's festival, scheduled for January 11-14 in Las Vegas.
The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association has been locked in a legal battle with former tournament director Eric Ryan over ownership of the event. The case is currently in mediation and is scheduled for trial in April. Nevertheless, GLASA announced that 18 LGBT sports organizations have signed up to host competitions during the weekend.
"The legal dispute between GLASA and Mr. Ryan is ongoing, and GLASA does not comment on ongoing litigation," Larry Ruiz, GLASA commissioner, told the Bay Area Reporter.
The sports are: softball, golf, ice hockey, wrestling, volleyball, body building, running, soccer, dodgeball, tennis, diving, kickball, cheer, bowling, flag football, billiards, Frisbee, and bridge.
For registration details and more information on individual sports, visit http://www.sincityclassic.org .
Gay Games 2018 registration
Registration fees for Gay Games X in Paris next year are scheduled to increase January 1.
Organizers said more than 5,200 individuals had registered by the end of last week and all slots have been filled in golf and tennis.
Currently, the base registration fee is 175 euros ($206). That fee will increase to 185 euros ($218) in January, and then climb to 205 euros ($242) in May.
The Gay Games are scheduled for August 4-12. For registration and more information, visit http://www.paris2018.com.
USA Gymnastics denies responsibility
Former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, 54, was sentenced earlier this month to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges and faces further sentencing in January after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual abuse of underage girls, many of them athletes under his care in gymnastics programs.
But USA Gymnastics does not seem ready to admit any responsibility for exposing so many athletes to the predator.
After releasing a statement that it was "sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career," USA Gymnastics said any lawsuits against the organization regarding Nassar should be dropped.
"While Nassar is liable to the plaintiffs, USAG is not," the organization said in a statement. "Most of the plaintiffs failed to timely assert their claims, and, therefore, their claims are time-barred."
At least one athlete differed with that opinion.
"We must look at the organizations that protected Nassar for years," Olympian Aly Raisman, one of Nassar's accusers, wrote in the Players Tribune. "Until we understand the flaws in their systems, we can't be sure something like this won't happen again."
Law enforcement officers said they found more than 37,000 child pornography images in Nassar's home while they were investigating sexual abuse charges against him.
"He has demonstrated that he should never again have access to children," U.S. District Judge Janet Neff said.