GayCities Europe editor Paul Brummitt is at the GayGames in Cologne, where he’s competing in the triathlon and blogging and photographing all week.

Monday saw the Games in full swing. The weather’s not so warm today, which soccer players no doubt prefer but which saw many swimmers from warmer climes looking decidedly askance at the chilly, brand-new outdoor pool.

However, there’s still plenty of athletic flesh on display: Co-President of International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics, Mike Crosby of West Hollywood, appears to in fine form wearing his red Denmark trunks. Here you can see him about to compete in the 100 meters freestyle.

We got some nice, very official, recognition today. The US Ambassador to Germany, Philip D. Murphy, also paid a visit to the pool, something that would NOT have happened under the previous American administration. Here he shares a joke with a swimmer from Seattle. The ambassador congratulated everyone for such a fantastic event, saying he was having a great time and that he intended to visit all the venues during the week.

There is plenty of free entertainment on offer as well as lots of parties and cruises on the River Rhine. But none could have been more popular than last night’s “Bjorn Again”–an Australian Abba knock-off group whose members dress like Abba, look like Abba and sing like Abba even though the Swedish accents are obviously fake. Is there any gay who can’t sing along to “Dancing Queen”? If there are, you wouldn’t know it from this concert!