Cape Town loses Mr Gay World

Cape Town has lost its title as a gay-friendly city after an unfriendly falling-out with the organisers of Mr Gay World 2020 over sponsorship.

Such is the bitterness over the City’s handling of the negotiations to host the event, that the organisers said next year’s event would be the last in the city, after deciding on Knysna to host the next pageant.

Spokesperson for Mr Gay World Gilbert Martin said: “We moved the event to the Garden Route because we felt that the City of Cape Town really left us in the lurch when the representatives of council approached Mr Eric Butter, the president of Mr Gay World and requested him to allow Cape Town to host the event for three years.

“When we presented our event sponsorship request to them, they came back with 10% of the budget for the event, and this in the form of services.” According to the event organisers, the proposed budget was insufficient.

“This was not possible to do, as this would have burdened our sponsors’ and the local organising committee’s finances. All countries that host events of this magnitude generally fund at least 60-80% of the event. Apart from this, we had to let down two other host countries that wanted to host the event because Cape Town approached us and asked us to bring the event to the city for three years,” Martin said.

The international contest is expected to take place from April 26, 2020 to May 3. The contest will see a stellar line-up of gay men from around the globe compete for the prestigious Mr Gay title. The competition also serves as a platform to address issues around homophobia .

This will be the third time that the event will be hosted in Knysna and the fifth time in South Africa. According to Martin, talks with the City have left the organisers in a bitter mood.

“The request was never for cash, but to sponsor the main components of the event as well as providing logistics, security and standard city services to the delegates. This will be the last year that Mr. Gay World will be hosted in South Africa, due to this and previous issues with the City of Cape Town. We are grateful to Knysna for saving the day for us,” he said.

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Mr Gay World™ returns to South Africa’s Garden Route Mr Gay World™ is proud to announce that Mr Gay World™ 2020 will once again be hosted in South Africa, specifically in Nelson Mandela Bay and Knysna; along the country’s spectacular Garden Route. The exciting news was revealed on Sunday 24 November 2019 at the annual Mr Gay World Thailand Grand Finale in Bangkok. The prestigious international contest is set to take place from 26 April to 3 May 2020 and will see a stellar line-up of men from around the globe competing for the Mr Gay World title. This will be the third time that the event will be hosted in Knysna and the fifth time in South Africa. The Garden Route is a stunning stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which is known for its verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation and numerous estuaries and lakes. Mr Gay World 2020 event was originally scheduled to be hosted in Cape Town, just as it was in 2019, after Mr Eric Butter, owner, founder and President of Mr Gay World, was personally approached by the City to return for another three years. However, following further unsuccessful discussions with the City of Cape Town it was decided to not continue with the event in the city but to rather move it to a more accommodating location. “With all this said, Mr Gay World 2020 will return to South Africa for the last time,” says Butter. “The delegates will be hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth), ending off in Knysna as part of the annual Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival. I would like to thank the South African organisers for assisting us again.” The town of Knysna has expressed its full backing for the event. “We are delighted that Mr Gay World is returning to Knysna. I can’t wait to welcome all the delegates in 2020,” says Executive Deputy Mayor, Cllr Aubrey Tsengwa. News of Cape Town’s lack of support for the global contest was met with disappointment by several of Mr Gay World’s partners and supporters, but also elicited firm solidarity with the organisers. Network Synergy, the new media partner for Mr Gay World, describes Cape Town’s decision as a “tragedy for the city and South Africa as it would have been the first

A post shared by Mr Gay World™(@mgworg) on Dec 12, 2019 at 2:25pm PST

The event also offers a massive tourist injection to the town as delegates from across the world descends on the town for the glitzy event.

“Cape Town really missed the mark and opportunity here, and in so doing also lost a huge ongoing injection into the local communities and the city itself.

“We are really shattered by their response ,” Martin said.

Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “Following the success of the event, the City had shown interest in retaining the Mr Gay World competition in Cape Town.

Event organisers were also informed that they would have to submit an application for support, just like any other event, and follow the legislative process. The event organisers were also made aware that the City is not able to fund the full budget of any event.

“The City is disappointed that Mr Gay World 2020 will not be held in the Mother City, but we are more disappointed in the reasons divulged by the event organiser.”

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