Capital Cup Brings 1,500 LGBTQ Athletes to D.C. for WorldPride
D.C. hosts Capital Cup, as thousands of LGBTQ athletes compete in Pride Week sporting events, May 29–June 5.
“So many people in D.C. have built friendships and relationships through their involvement in different sports,” says Miguel Ayala, president of Team DC. “And I think at a time when many in our community — whether they’re trans, gay, people of color, or immigrants — feel isolated, we’ve been able to stand together for folks. If they’re part of our sports community, they’re part of our community overall.”
That shared community spirit and feeling of togetherness will be on display this weekend, when, as part of the WorldPride 2025 festivities, Washington will host the Capital Cup Sports Festival, beginning on Friday, May 29 and continuing through Thursday, June 5.
The festival features LGBTQ athletic teams from around the globe competing in at least 15 different tournaments, races, or competitions across a variety of sporting disciplines.
Ayala says that when D.C. was preparing to submit a bid seeking to host WorldPride 2025, Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ sports leagues in the District, began conversations with Capital Pride Alliance about hosting an international sports tournament on the level of the Gay Games, a quadrennial event that has been dubbed the “Gay Olympics.” The idea of hosting such a large-scale sporting event was incorporated into D.C.’s bid for WorldPride.
For many D.C.-based LGBTQ sports leagues, having a chance to host a global sporting event is especially meaningful, since the District was rejected two separate times to host the Gay Games.
Ayala contacted LGBTQ sporting organizations in other cities and convinced some sports leagues to move their tournaments to D.C. as part of the Capital Cup festivities.
Currently, 900 people are registered for the Capital Cup — and that doesn’t include participants who registered separately for IGLA+ events like swimming, diving, and water polo, or for the annual Front Runners Pride Run.
Ayala estimates the total number of athletes competing in various events will be close to 1,500.
“I think the Capital Cup is a chance to come together to celebrate each other, be with each other, and show society just how broad the interests of our community are,” Ayala says. “People looking from the outside don’t always appreciate our athleticism or our interest in different activities. Whether it’s flag football, kickball, pickleball, or any of these different sports communities, Capital Cup gives people the opportunity to see how passionate we are. And WorldPride and Pride season overall is a great time to highlight that.”
The schedule of sporting events follows:
Thursday, May 29-Thursday, June 5: Swimming and Diving events to be held at Long Bridge Aquatics Center, at 333 Long Bridge Drive, in Arlington, Va.
Thursday, May 29-Thursday, June 5: Water Polo events to be held at the Takoma Aquatic Center, at 300 Van Buren St. NW, and the Wilson Aquatic Center, 4551 Fort Dr. NW in Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: Indoor Volleyball to be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW, Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: Dodgeball to be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW, Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: Flag Football tournament to be held at Anacostia Park, 1900 Anacostia Dr. SE in Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: A Rugby Motley 7 vs. 7 Play & Clinic event will be held at The Fields at RFK Campus, 401 Oklahoma Ave. NE in Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: A 3-on-3 Basketball tournament will be held at Edgewood Recreation Center, 301 Franklin St. NE, in Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: Cornhole competition to be held at Kraken Kourts, 514 Rhode Island Ave. NE, in Washington.
Friday, May 30-Saturday, May 31: Darts competition to be held at Kraken Kourts, 514 Rhode Island Ave. NE, in Washington.
Saturday, May 31-Monday, June 1: Pickleball tournament to be held at the Washington Tennis and Education Center, 200 Stoddert Pl. SE, in Washington.
Saturday, May 31-Monday, June 2: The World Pride Capital Cup Golf Championship will be held at East Potomac Links, 972 Ohio Dr. SW, in Washington. The Match Play championship will be held the first two days, with the Open championship held on the final day.
Sunday, June 1: Drag Kickball for Charity tournament to be held at Stead Park, 1625 P St. NW, in Washington. Social event to follow at Kiki, at 915 U St. NW. For more information, visit skdc.info/worldpride/drag-ball.
Sunday, June 1: The annual DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K will be held at Historic Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE, in Washington. For more information, visit dcfrontrunners.org/pride.
Sunday, June 1: Stonewall Regatta to be held at the Anacostia Boathouse, 1900 M St. SE, in Washington.
Sunday, June 1-Monday, June 2: Bocce tournament to be held at West Potomac Park, 2912 Independence Ave SW, in Washington.
Sunday, June 1-Monday, June 2: A 7-on-7 Soccer Tournament will be held at The Fields at RFK Campus, 401 Oklahoma Ave. NE, in Washington.
Monday, June 2: Sand Volleyball Tournament to be held at the Lincoln Memorial Sand Courts, 3416 Wilson Blvd., in Arlington, Va.
Monday, June 2-Wednesday, June 4: The Capital Tennis Association Tennis Tournament will be held at Banneker Recreation Center, at 2500 Georgia Ave. NW, and Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, at 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, in Washington.
Capital Cup participants will also be able to socialize at several official parties. The Capital Cup Kick-Off party will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, at Bunker, 2001 14th St. NW.
Bunker will also host the “Squad Goals” party at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 30.
Meanwhile, the District Eagle will host the Women’s Sports Day Party on Sunday, June 1 at 2 p.m.
Additional social events and parties, including a “Vogue Ball,” will be hosted by IGLA+, the international LGBTQ aquatics association, throughout the week at various venues. For more information, visit www.igla.org/igla2025/socials.
For more information about the Capital Cup Sports Festival, visit worldpridedc.org/events/capital-cup-sports-festival.
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