The International Gay Olympic Association was founded by Tom Wadell, a former U.S. decathlon champion and representative of the United States at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, to permit lesbians and gay men throughout the world to participate in world class competition based on the Olympic ideal. The Minnesota Committee was formed in January 1981 with the intent and purpose of uniforming and sending a full slate of the best qualified gay and lesbian athletes from the state of Minnesota to the August 1982 games, which were held in San Francisco and hosted by San Francisco Arts & Athletics. By 1982, the Committee's goals had expanded to include hosting the first Winter Gay Olympics, proposed for 1986. In early 1983, the Minnesota Committee's proposal for the winter games was accepted and planning began in earnest, led by Committee co-chairs Robin Karas and Jean-Nickolas Tretter. Despite the initial enthusiasm and a great deal of support from the local community (including the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, members of the state senate and house of representatives, and several local council members), by mid-1984 the Committee was struggling. Several unsuccessful fund raisers, controversy over unauthorized use of the mailing list, and the subsequent resignation a number of committee members, including co-chair Tretter, all contributed to the decision in October of 1984 to abandon the ambitious plan.
From the guide to the International Gay Olympics records., 1981-1984., (Minnesota Historical Society)
