DORNBIRN (AUT) - LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, Just five months prior to the premier Gym For Life Challenge kick-off, organisers are forecasting the participation of some 1,800 gymnasts from 20 countries. Margaret Sikkens Ahlquist (SWE), President of the Gymnastics for All Committee, feels that this goes far beyond any expectations they may have had. A delegation of the committee met with the Austrian organisers in Dornbirn to go over preparation for the event.
The national federations have more than proven their interest in an event of this kind, registering a total of 70 groups, all of which will be presenting their routines to a college of authorities for evaluation. The top 15 groups will qualify for a Gala on July 18th, at the close of which a Gold medal will designate one winning group as the, “Group of the Year”!
The FIG presented the contest at the International Olympic Committee’s recent Sport for All Congress in Kuala Lumpur (MAS). Both the FIG’s project and President Sikkens Ahlquist received a positive reaction from participants. “We will set up a simple and effective method of evaluation to be used by 8 authorities and a handful of specialists from the national federations,” affirmed Ms Sikkens Ahlquist.
In terms of organisation, all Gymnastics for All Committee members will be participating and volunteers are aplenty. President Marie-Louise Hinterauer can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that this premier event for Gymnastics for All in general and the FIG in particular is going to be a global success!
