Athletes from Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were among thousands who covened in Paris for the opening ceremonies of the 10th Gay Games, which aim to raise awareness about gay and transgender rights.
They paraded behind their respective national flags in a stadium in western Paris on Saturday.
Over 12,700 participants from 91 countries are expected during the Games.
Fifty-eight athletes are from Russia, which in 2013 passed a law banning "propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations," while one athlete holds a passport from Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is punishable by death.
Egypt and other Muslim countries where gays have been arrested and sent to jail will also be represented in one of the 36 sporting disciplines, spanning from soccer to swimming, volleyball and sailing.
France itself has been grappling with a recent surge in anti-gay acts as it eyes legalising assisted reproduction for gay women in 2019 -- a campaign promise by centrist French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to French gay rights charity SOS Homophobie, the number of physical attacks due to homophobia jumped by 15 percent from 2016 to 2017.
The country legalised same-sex marriage in 2013, after a bitter and divisive debate in which some former conservative members of Macron's current left-and-right government opposed the legislation.
Gay Games organisers have said they expected the gains for the local economy to amount to 58 million euros.
The event has received broad support from the French government and is sponsored by several large corporations including the country's largest bank BNP Paribas, carmaker Renault and General Electric.
Paris was selected in 2012 over seven cities including Amsterdam, London and Rio de Janeiro to host the games, held every four years since they debuted in 1982 in San Francisco.
