Violent attacks at the 2009 Outgames

The World Outgames, an LGBT sporting event, was the target of a bombing this week.

A member of the Seattle Frontrunners was injured from shrapnel when an explosive device was thrown onto the track during competition at the World Outgames in Copenhagen.
Dean Koga’s right hand was injured and he required stitches after the bomb, believed to be a small incindinary device, exploded right before the start of the men’s 4×200 relay at Osterbro Stadium, according to eyewitness reports.

Copenhagen police were criticized by participants for their slow response time – they took 30 minutes to arrive on the scene. Eventually they apprehended one suspect and are looking for another.

Danish police arrested a 31-year-old man caught after tossing the third bomb and charged him with a hate crime, according to Danish media. The suspect was carrying a backpack containing another half-dozen or so bombs, Koga said he was told by the police. The devices that exploded on the track were described as being powerful, about 9 inches in length, with a blue plastic covering and a fuse that was burning after it landed.

Participants and attendees were understandably shocked and frightened by the attack, but the games went on and Koga was back on the track the next day.
This follows another incident earlier in the week when three Outgames attendees were attacked by two men shouting “homo pig.”
This violence is a reminder that even a relatively mainstream event like the Outgames is not just a chance for queer folk to have some fun together. It’s still a political statement in a world where our communities are faced with such an intense amount of hate.