PRE OLYMPICS Athens 2004 - Women s Artistic Gymnastics

Women's Team Competition

The female gymnasts are testing the Team-event...!
A few months before the actual highlight will take place traditionally the 'Pre- Olympic Competitions' are starting the countdown to the Olympic Games.
As well for the athletes as also for the organisers and the official equipment suppliers they are an important test for the individual kinds of sports. The female gymnasts are testing their team event...

Allana Slater (AUS)
- Bronze Team of Anaheim 2003

Wednesday, March 17th, Women's artistic gymnastics team competition (qualification)
Results:
1. China 148,258; 2. RUS 145,058; 3. ESP 144,295; 4. UKR 144,209; 5. CAN 141,659; 6. BRA 141,333 7. GRE 138,433 8. GBR 137,735

Except for Team- World Champion USA and Vice- World Champion Romania (who probably don't want to put their cards on the table now) the best 9 teams from Anaheim are in Athens at the moment. Also North-Corea, 12th at last years World Championships, is not taking part in this team competition. However, the hosts Greece (17th in Anaheim) are getting their chance to compete.
The USA and Romania are sending two individual starters each. Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands are participating with one gymnast each. Altogether 70 gymnasts from 16 nations are taking part in this test event (- please see also participants).

Supported by the 'Official Olympic Supplier Athens 2004' the Dutch producers of PEGASES 'Janssen&Fritsen'
GYMmedia will report directly from the competitions in Athens from Wednesday, March 15th onwards.

>> 5.00 - 10.00 pm: Women's team, competition.

'APOLLO Diagonal',
an absolutely new System!!

Completely new apparatus which is being used for the fist time

A completely new floor will be used for the fist time in Athens. This inovation from J&F is named 'APOLLO* Diagonal' and it offers a tremendous improvement for jumping- and landing qualities, especially in the diagonals which means in the areas which are mainly used for acrobatic series.

)* Remark:
Apollo(n) is said to have been a very handsome god, athletic and self-confident, god of wisdom and the art of cure... also, he always wanted to be the winner.

According to new FIG regulations only 2 kind of springboards will be allowed to be used, one hard and one soft kind of board:

So Janssen&Fritsen is introducing the blue 'softer' sprinboard 'IRIS' (soft)

and the red 'harder' springboard 'KREON' (hard) to be chosed by the athletes. Both boards have major improvements in the sense of modern gymnastics development.

Depending on the weight and athletic conditions or the choice of vault group (e.g rondat- or handspring vault) the athletes now have a better individual choice according to their sportive demands..
.. please read more on the link 'Apparatuses'

IRIS, Goddess of the Rainbow

)* Remarks:
The names 'IRIS' and 'Kreon' also come from Greek Mythology
>> 'IRIS' is known as the godness of the rainbow which can be seen as the way about which the gods pass on their messages to the people.

>>... and 'KREON' is seen as the 'hard' ruler of Theben, who among other things is said to have mured the still alive fiancée of his son Haimon...!