Nepal Hosts South Asia’s First Gay Sports Festival [PHOTOS]

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Nepal Hosts South Asia’s First Gay Sports Festival [PHOTOS]

Five years since holding the first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) beauty contest, Pink Pageant, Nepal hosted South Asia's first LGBT sports festival over the weekend.

The gay sports festival held at Kathmandu's Dasharath Rangashala (DR) stadium and the National Theatre Hall saw as many as 350 Nepali amateur athletes from the LGBT community and at least 150 foreign athletes from over 17 countries participating in various sports.

The festival was organised by the same human rights group of Nepal which hosted the country's first LGBT beauty pageant in 2007 - the Blue Diamond Society (BDS). The BDS is Nepal's largest human rights organisation that works to empower the marginalised community which faces societal discrimination and stigma.

The festival, which was also Asia's second such event for LGBT, was aimed at dispelling taboos against gay people in Nepal who constitute 10 percent of the country's population, and make people aware about human rights of the LGBT community.

"This unique sporting and social awareness event aims to prove that sexual and gender minority individuals are as much members of society as anyone else and they can also take part in mainstream activities such as sports, contrary to popular misconceptions," a pre-event official release from the organisers read.

The gay participants competed in over ten group and individual events such as karate, track running, marathon, football, volleyball, badminton, basketball and long jump.

USA's Greg Louganis, a gay and HIV positive athlete who won two gold medals in diving in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, was the guest of honour at the Nepal gay sports festival. The festival ended on an entertaining note with a "Pink Pageant" fashion show competition featuring transgender women contestants.

Scroll down to catch a glimpse of the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT sports festival in Nepal.

A contestant casts a shadow on a wall as she waits to enter the stage for the Pink Pageant on closing ceremony of first South Asian LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

Participants compete during the Pink Pageant, at the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A contestant puts on a number tag while preparing for the Pink Pageant, during the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A contestant is pictured backstage before entering the stage during the Pink Pageant, at the closing ceremony of the first South Asia Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A contestant performs during the Pink Pageant, at the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A contestant walks backstage at the Pink Pageant, during the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A contestant poses before entering the stage for the Pink Pageant, during the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A contestant walks on stage at the Pink Pageant, during the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

A performer gets her hair done before the Pink Pageant, during the closing ceremony of the first South Asia LGBT Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

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