Chris Filippelli, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, poses during the Physique (bodybuilding) competition 40-49 year old age group heavyweight division at McGaw Memorial Hall/Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois during the Gay Games VII competition on July 19, 2006. <br /> <br /> <br /> Filippelli won the modified championship in his division. <br /> <br /> Over 12,000 gay and lesbian athletes from 60 countries are in Chicago competing in 30 sports during the Games from July 15 through 22, 2006. <br /> <br /> Over 50,000 athletes have competed in the quadrennial Games since they were founded by Dr. Tom Wadell, a 1968 Olympic decathlete, and a group of friends in San Francisco in 1982, with the goal of using athletics to promote community building and social change. <br /> <br /> The Gay Games resemble the Olympics in structure, but the spirit is one of inclusion, rather than exclusivity. There are no qualifying events or minimum or maximum requirements.<br /> <br /> The Games have been held in Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), and Sydney (2002).
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