Asia's first gay sports tournament begins in Nepal

Participants hold Nepalese and rainbow flags during the opening ceremony of the first South Asia Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Sports Festival in Kathmandu on October 12, 2012. Hundreds of athletes took part in Asia's first-ever sports tournament for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. (All AFP Photos)

A participant holds a rainbow flag during the opening ceremony of the first South Asia Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Sports Festival in Kathmandu.

Some 300 local athletes had signed up for the games while 20 gay athletes arrived from countries including the United States, Russia, Japan, France and Bangladesh.

The three-day event at the national football stadium and other venues around Kathmandu kicked off with a football match between local teams.

The tournament features basketball, volleyball, football, martial arts and tennis, said The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's leading gay rights group.

Homosexuals in the overwhelmingly Hindu nation have started to become more open about their sexual orientation since the end to the decade-long Maoist civil war in 2006 with the gay community staging beauty contests and other events.

New Zealand and Australia host the "Asia-Pacific Outgames", another multi-sports gay event. But the event in Nepal has been billed as Asia's first gay games.