The three shortlisted cities, London, the Irish city of Limerick and French capital Paris, are due to make final presentations to the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) in early October before a decision on the host city is made.

The FGG completed their inspection of London earlier this month, embarking on a four-day whistle-stop tour of the city's proposed venues, including The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which would become the hub of the Games should London's bid to host the Games in 2018 be successful.

The city has received backing from Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson in recent months, and London 2018 project manager Craig Jones hopes that the support of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will move the city one step closer to securing the rights to host the Games.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson have backed London's bid to host the 2018 Gay Games

"To have Freshfields support is incredibly exciting for us," he said.

"Working with Freshfields adds yet another string to our bow and the experience they bring to our bid is already proving invaluable.

"We're looking forward to building a strong relationship that secures London as the host city, and delivering the best Gay Games yet.'

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Partner Andrew Austin added: "This is a hugely exciting opportunity for London and one the firm is very proud to support.

"The fact that we have the excellent sporting facilities from last summer's Games, great infrastructure and a sound record on the city's ability to successfully host major sporting events really strengthens our bid - but we're not being complacent.

"Everyone at Freshfields is wishing London 2018 every success and we're delighted that, through our experience in advising the organisers of last year's London Olympics, we are able to give a level of insight and knowledge that might give the London bid that extra edge," he added.


Other Games venues earmarked for use should London defeat Limerick and historic rivals Paris - who they also defeated to win the rights to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games - in the race to host the Games include the North Greenwich Arena, known as The O2 for sponsorship reasons, and the Aquatics Centre.

The next edition of the Gay Games, which was inaugurated in San Francisco in 1982, will be held next year in Cleveland and Akron in the United States, the nation which has held four of the previous eight Gay Games. 

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