FIG-coaching seminar in the new Cuban center

Already since many years the FIG organises - with financial support by the IOC - coaching seminars all over the World.
One of these seminars now took place with 36 gymnastics coaches from Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia and Venezuela in a new Cuban gymnastics center. The seminar was led by Dieter Hofmann.

This latest seminar which ended on Saturday, Jan. 21st took place in the new Cuban gymnastics center which hasn't even been officially opened. Nonetheless training already takes place there. The gym is equiped with apparatus by the well-known Dutch company "J&F" and consists of 3 rooms (c. 40 x 40 meters). The rooms are for women's and men's artistic gymnastics and for RG. In addition to the gyms there is a hotel, a boarding school and facilities for sports medicine.

"36 coaches as well as 10 students and 2 professors took place in the seminar and all of them were very eager to learn" - mentioned Dieter Hofmann.

The most eager student by the way was the Cuban gymnastics star Erik Lopez who wants to end his own gymnastics career soon and already makes plans for a future job in the Cuban gymnastics federation.

In fall 2006 another coaching seminar is scheduled in the same gym in Havanna/ Cuba, this time for women's gymnastics coaches from Latin America. Following that, Dieter Hofmann has planned together with the Cuban gymnastics federation a 2-week training camp for the Cuban men's national team.
E. Herholz, gymmedia

GYMmedia INTERNATIONAL updated now its comprehensive
GYM WORLD CALENDAR SYSTEM 2006'.
Permanent updated it is one of the actual compass in the manyfoldly global world of Gymnastics.

Notice:
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Brian Stocks: '200 days and yet no funding!'
'The week starting on Monday 23rd January 2006 marks 200 days since the official announcement of the successful London 2012 Olympic Bid.
We, at British Gymnastics, as all the nation, are thrilled about this unique opportunity to raise the standards of the sport in both our country and worldwide.
However, whilst the contracts to start building numerous Olympic facilities have already been raised, nothing has been done to support the preparation of our athletes for the greatest event on earth in 6 years time....'

TIMES ONLINE wrotes
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has been seeking up to ?100 million a year for the 720-strong team across all 26 sports included in the Summer Games. At present, the sum is about ?48 million.

The BOA declined to comment on the approach to the bank, although its frustration was made clear seven weeks ago when Simon Clegg, the BOA chief executive, said that the present situation was “like entering an Olympic race with one hand tied behind our back”.

Many governing bodies are desperate to start employing coaches and back-up staff and it is understood that the money guaranteed by the bank will go to the smaller sports rather than to those activities for which funding and sponsorship are assured.

Brian Stocks, the president of British Gymnastics, praised the BOA yesterday for its initiative in setting up the scheme with the bank, which has agreed to the no-interest loan because it believes that the risk is negligible. “It’s a brilliant idea,” Stocks said.
“People will remember 2012 by the number of medals won, not by the magnificent buildings. In gymnastics, we do not automatically qualify as hosts; we have to go through the qualifying tournament in 2010. We have the money for the women’s (artistic gymnastics and trampolining) squads but not for the men’s. We need a properly funded programme now.”
Source: TIMES ONLINE

A Danish national artistic gymnastics team will give three weeks of performances beginning February 2 in Hanoi, the former imperial city of Hue, the central coastal city of Da Nang, Nha Trang resort and Ho Chi Minh City. This will be the delegation’s third visit to perform in Vietnam. The team was set up in 1993 under the initiative of the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI)....

Russia will come with strong athletes to the 30th International Tournament of Masters', which will held March 24 - 26. März in Cottbus, Germany.
So the all-around world champion (Tianjin, 1999) Nikolai Krukov is a member of Russian delegation, who won the last pommel horse event in Stuttgart, but also the last winner of the world cup rings duel Alexander Safoshkin, against the Dutch van Gelder.... it will be a new revenge between theese two specialists again...
>> www.turnier-der-meister.de

For the first time Japan are among the participants!
The 'International Junior Team Cup 2006' (formerly named OBI-Cup) in junior men’s artistic gymnastics will take place for the 11th time on March 4th 2006. For the first time the event will be held in a different venue “Große Sporthalle” in Berlin, which is larger compared to the one which was used the last 10 years. 22 teams from 17 nations with junior gymnasts aged 11 – 18 years are expected to participate in the competition this year.
For the first time a team from the legendary gymnastics nation Japan arrived Berlin, to participate in this event. This clearly proves that the International Junior Team Cup is one of the most important competitions for junior gymnasts worldwide....

>> This week the Berlin's organizers of the 'International Junior Team Cup 2006' welcomed the entry of the Slovanian team, and also teams from Netherlands and also from Tyrol, Austria asked to participating.
So all together 17 nations will take part at this significantly junior tournament.

The 'Aussies'
(<< photo left >>) arrived as one of the first delegations in the German capital of Berlin, and the Australian boys are 'hot' for the upcoming competition day on Saturday and use perfectly conditions for their training here!

26-Jan-2006:
>> Berlin's host announced, that two teams of Finland will come to the first time to this one of the important European junior event of artistic gymnastics.
>> The Japanese delegation will arrive at March 1st already - for a good acclimation surely.
>> The Swiss team from the 'NKL Liestal' will come earlier yet and start from February 26th on a special training camp under the top conditions in the Berlin center for 8 young athletes and two coaches...

Current standing of Entries (01-Mar-2006)
- Australia AUS
- Austria AUT
- Austria AUT (Tirol; avisiert)
- Belgium BEL
- Belarus BLR
- China CHN (-cancelled-)
- Czech Republic CZE (-cancelled-)
- Finland FIN (-cancelled-)
- Great Britain GBR (2 teams)
- Greece GRE
- Japan JPN

Tickets / contact:
- Tickets are available for EUR 3.00 (reduced price) and EUR 5.00
and can be ordered at:
wuestemannturnen@aol.com

Former International Junior Team Cups/ results and reports:
(reports 2000 - 2002 in German only)

>> 5th OBI-CUP 2000
>> 6th OBI-CUP 2001
>> 7th OBI-CUP 2002
>>
>>
>> 10th INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM CUP 2005

The Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation informed, that its Congress held on January 16 has elected a new President, Yuri Dedukh, a candidate proposed by the Russian Olympic Committee.
Yuri Titov, who replaced Leonid Arkaev in December 2004, remains at the Russian Federation as 1st Vice-president; Svetlana Khorkina was confirmed as vice-president....

It was also mentioned that Leonid Arkaev, former head coach and president of the Russian Federation has accepted a position as head coach of the national Korean team. South and North Korea will form one team for the 2006 Asian Games and 2008 Olympic Games.
>> read also Leonid Arkaev - new head coach in Korea

Rumanian Olympic champion Catalina Ponor said in an interview for Rumanian Mediafax News Agency that she would be tempted to be part of the 'Cirque du Soleil' circus group, as she received a proposal in this respect while she was participating in last year's European Gymnastics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary....

'My objective is to participate successfully in the European Championships,' Ponor said. The European championships will take place in April in Vlosos, Greece.
Ponor and the other two gymnasts who were part of the Olympic team were excluded from the team at the moment it was dissolved by the federation. That decision was made after the gymnasts were accused of indiscipline by the former two coaches, Octavian Belu and Mariana Bitang. As a consequence, the gymnasts went to train with their clubs.
Sopurce: Rumanian press; photos: gymmedia

The American magazin International Gymnast repeated the words of former FIG president Yuri Titov, that the former Russian head coach Leonid Arkayev has accepted a position as head coach of the Korean gymnastics team.
Arkayev was the head coach of the URS and Russian men's team from 1973 to 1992, and from 1992 to 2004 he was the head coach for the Russian men's and women's team and president of the Russian Gymnastics Federation....

Russian Gymnastics has a new President
'Gymnastics was always the pride of our country,' said Leonid Tyagachyov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee to the Russian sports agency «Стадион». 'Yuri Titov told me that they needed help and that he had a suggestion for a new president. I hope, that these changes will positively affect development of gymnastics in Russia.'
'I could not recruit any sponsors and I recognize this defeat,' Titov told sports agency «Стадион». 'Today many federations exist only because of sponsors and their support, and our sport is especially expensive, and without money from sponsors we simply cannot survive.'