Description of the Pledge

Lotosové kvety will work towards providing easier access to sport and physical activities for the LGBTIQ+ community, with a special focus on inclusion and non-discrimination.

Through the HealthyLifestyle4All initiative, Lotosové kvety aims to develop a healthier lifestyle for all athletes and to create a safe and inclusive space for all sport fields, regardless of sexuality, gender, age, race, ethnicity and disability.

This will be achieved through various initiatives, events and projects, such as

• regular indoor volleyball, floorball, running and badminton training sessions organised in the capital city Bratislava for western Slovakia
• ‘Lotus Cup Bratislava’, a well-known multisport international event that takes place every year in autumn and will be held in all our sports
• sports weekends in the cities of Košice for eastern Slovakia and Banská Bystrica for central Slovakia, to also bring lotus flowers also to our regions

During the period of this pledge, the door to various specific sports events will be open with pride. All of them will make it easier for the LGBTIQ+ people to access sports and physical activity with special focus on inclusion and non-discrimination.

Lotosové kvety ('Lotus Flowers' in English) is the first and still the only registered LGBTIQ+ sports club on the Slovak scene. Although based in Bratislava, we have been serving people coming to the capital from all over the country for more than 10 years.

With our pledge to HealthyLifestyle4All we would like to strengthen all our activities, which are aimed at

• developing a healthy lifestyle for all our athletes through sport, regardless of their sexuality or gender, age, fitness condition, experience, motivation, culture or religion
• creating a safe and inclusive space on the sports fields, where everyone can practice sports freely and openly regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity without any fear of hatred and discrimination
• sensitising society to the LGBTIQ+ issues through sporting visibility in order to break down prejudices and to improve the acceptance of gay, lesbian, transgender, intersex and all queer people in Slovakia.

Expected measureable outcome

• Regular trainings, once or twice a week in each discipline mentioned above.
• ndividual competitions and accompanying events in 'Lotus Cup Bratislava'.
• Two non-competitive sports weekends in two regional cities, one by one. 
• Sustainable or growing number of players and runners in the trainings.
• Participants in the 'Lotus Cup Bratislava' with an expected history record. 
• Sufficient number of volunteers for all the events with ongoing cooperation. 
• Healthy lifestyle and higher self-confidence of the LGBTIQ+ participants. 
• Better visibility, awareness and acceptance of the LGBTIQ+ community.
• New connections among athletes, organizers and clubs in the sports world. 
• Intense international contacts, incl. 'European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation'.