{"id":48325,"date":"2026-06-30T23:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/48325\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T23:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:48:22","slug":"perth-queer-quokka-builds-2030-excitment-at-valencia-gay-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/48325\/","title":{"rendered":"Perth Queer Quokka builds 2030 excitment at Valencia Gay Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Valencia Gay Games are well and truly underway, with LGBTQ+ athletes from around the world coming together to participate. But excitement is already building for when the Games come to Perth in 2030, especially with the appearance of Perth\u2019s Queer Quokka in Spain.<\/p>\n

The Gay Games is the world\u2019s largest LGBTQ+ sporting event. Held once every four years, the international sporting tournament is built on the principles of participation, inclusion, and personal best.<\/p>\n

The eight-day event currently has over thirty sports taking place in Valencia, bringing together thousands of participants and spectators. This year, Australia has its largest contingent of participants since the Gay Games were hosted in Sydney, with 647 people taking part.<\/p>\n

With the Gay Games taking place in Perth in 2030, everyone has questions about what the event will be like when it takes place in Western Australia.<\/p>\n

Team Perth are on site building anticipation before officially taking the helm when the Valencia Gay Games end this weekend, and got everyone excited last night when their Queer Quokka made an appearance at the Games Meeting Point.<\/p>\n

\"\"Perth Queer Quokka at Valencia Gay Games
Photo by Dean Arcuri<\/p>\n

Related content:<\/p>\n

Do you have corocidles in Perth?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere in Valencia has been fantastic,\u201d\u00a0Perth Gay Games Chair Peter Foster told QNews, \u201cEverybody is really excited about travelling to Perth in 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had our Queer Quokka out greeting the participants over the last few days, getting people excited. But we certainly are getting a lot of questions from international travellers about Perth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many international travellers think they know what to expect when they head to Melbourne or Sydney, but Perth is an unknown factor, so we can understand their curiosity.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want to know if we\u2019ve got crocodiles in Perth,\u201d Peter laughed, \u201cThat question comes up a lot, but we\u2019re also getting questions about accessibility, and Perth is a very accessible city. We\u2019re getting questions about safety as well, and we consider Perth to be a very safe city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just to clarify, there are no wild crocodiles in Perth, but you can see some at the Zoo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Say hey to the Perth Gay Games Queer Quokka<\/p>\n

Tourism WA is the lead agency that promotes Western Australia, and they use a quokka for marketing. They have one suit in Perth, and another in London.<\/p>\n

The team from Perth Gay Games had the London suit sent to Valencia, where the temperature at the moment is consistently over 30 degrees, and the Perth Gay Games Queer Quokka is happily saying hello. (Let\u2019s all spare a thought for the legend who is actually in it with the high temperatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe energy when the Queer Quokka walked around the Meeting Point was awesome,\u201d Peter said, \u201cEverybody wanted a selfie, everybody wanted to know if it was actually a rat. It\u2019s not, by the way, it\u2019s a marsupial. But they all wanted to know where it was from, how they could meet one. Which led from curiosity to a lot of selfies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How hard is it to fly to Perth?<\/p>\n

One of the biggest questions the Perth team are getting asked at the Valencia Gay Games, besides when the 2030 dates are, is about travel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had so many travel questions,\u201d Peter said, \u201cAnd they are surprised to learn how easy it is to fly to Perth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to let them know that we have flights direct from London, Rome, and Paris to Perth. We also have connectivity with Emirates, Qatar, Malaysian and Singapore Airlines. I think once people realise they can get there in two flights, they are more relaxed about the travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

A note from the writer: I have had to take three flights to get from Melbourne to Valencia, and it has been totally fine. It\u2019s easier to get to Perth than it is to get from Sydney to Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so excited for LGBTQIA+ athletes and supporters from around the world to make their way to Perth.\u201d Peter said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got a very rich First Nations culture. Which is very important to us, but we also have fantastic beaches, great places to eat, amazing wines in the Margaret River, as well as beautiful forests, caves, mountains, and so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But the 2026 Gay Games are not over yet<\/p>\n

On Saturday at the Valencia Gay Games Closing Ceremony, the Perth Gay Games countdown officially begins.<\/p>\n

The Federation of Gay Games hands Perth the flag, and preparations begin. Actually, they\u2019ve already started, but come Sunday, it pushes into overdrive.<\/p>\n

Before that, there\u2019s a lot more sport happening across Valencia, with LGBTQIA+ athletes taking part and diving headfirst into the cultural program.<\/p>\n

We hope you\u2019re all having a fantastic time at the Valencia Gay Games.<\/p>\n

For the latest LGBTIQA+\u00a0Sister Girl and Brother Boy\u00a0news,<\/a>\u00a0entertainment,<\/a>\u00a0and community stories<\/a>\u00a0in Australia, visit\u00a0qnews.com.au<\/a>. Find us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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