The long wait has begun again. Four years from now the next World Gymnaestrada will take place, in Lisbon. But with the conclusion of this 17th edition, the afterglow can begin. Because there is every reason to do so. Nearly 19,000 gymnasts from 60 countries participated in the World Gymnaestrada in Amsterdam last week. They brought together energy, strength, agility, grace and a large dose of cheer for seven days.
By Edward Swier
In all, no fewer than 487 groups performed between July 30 and Aug. 5. Dance, acrobatics and gymnastics came together on twelve stages in the RAI, the Olympic Stadium and the Vondelpark. The organization was able to rely on the assistance of 375 volunteers.
70 years
It was the third time in history that the World Gymnaestrada was held in the Netherlands. The very first edition, in 1953, was held in Rotterdam. And also in 1991, the Netherlands was host countrie. What is special about the World Gymnaestrada is that although every participant puts his or her best foot forward, no medals are awarded afterwards. In the Olympic Stadium, the event concluded today. A group performance by the 1540-strong World Team was followed by a Closing Ceremony full of entertainment (including a performance by singer Emmaly Brown), numerous spectacular gymnastics acts and regular programme elements. These included the handing over of the FIG flag to the 2027 Portuguese organization. FIG Vice President Ali Al-Hitmi declared the World Gymnaestrada closed the event after his acceptance speech.
Rollercoaster of emotions
Rogério Valério, president of the FIG Gymnastics for All committee, spoke of a “fantastic week, a rollercoaster full of emotions. It was great, epic even, to see all those happy faces, to feel the intention with which everyone was active on and off the gym floor. Everyone made memories for life here, they will never forget Amsterdam.” Valério also was not unaware that the weather in Amsterdam “was not always fantastic. But it marks the World Gymnaestrada community that everyone handled that smoothly. The organization was able to move some outdoor performances; the participants then simply continued their celebration inside. As flexible and nimble as these gymnasts are, the organization, athletes and fans have shown themselves to be as flexible off the mat as well.”
Valério saw in Amsterdam that international show sports are still developing. ,,What stood out was that a lot of clubs and groups connected with each other in the run-up to this event, in order to combine various disciplines of gymnastics. That made the performances even more diverse, even more attractive. Again, we saw a number of new countries hooking up. The spread of the feeling that you can especially enjoy sports even when there is not necessarily a medal to be earned continues.”
Tears of joy
Manon Crijns, president of the organizing committee, looked back on a “very good week. I am enormously happy and satisfied that we saw so many people running very happily through Amsterdam for a whole week. In the RAI, at the Olympic Stadium on the City Stage in the Vondelpark, but also at the parties in the city and on their boat trip through the canals; everyone was happy. And we as the Netherlands, as an organization, can be proud of that. Don’t misunderstand: this event is very big. It is good that the sports association KNGU and sports marketing agency TIG have joined forces for this.”
,,With 19,000 participants, you face enormous challenges from time to time, but we were able to handle them just fine. The participants were able to do their thing from start to finish, and it was an honor to make sure that succeeded. The tears I saw were from happiness. Especially the last two days, I saw groups everywhere hugging, relieved and proud that they had managed to put down their best possible performance. Many also made friends for life. They are never going to forget this celebration. And me neither!”
Groundbreaking event
Bianca Wieman spoke on behalf of the KNGU of “a groundbreaking event. It has been worth it to work very hard on this for four years. Years ago, when we started the organization of the World Gymnaestrada, we also set the goal of putting recreational sports better on the map. You succeed with an event like this. We invited club officials to come here for a day and many did. Super cool, was the qualification I heard most often. And so it is. Once you’ve been to the World Gymnaestrada, you’re sold. Wieman emphasized again that it doesn’t always have to be about the medals. “Here everyone enjoys the sport of gymnastics, whatever level someone is, whatever culture, gender or religion they belong to. A disability or not, it doesn’t matter. This event shows that young and old can enjoy gymnastics, even when there are no prizes at stake.”
Partner Amsterdam
Crijns and Wieman also had a special word of appreciation for the municipality of Amsterdam. ,,The municipality showed itself to be an enthusiastic partner from day one, helped where they could. Whether that was with the schools, where many of the delegations slept, or at the City Stage in the Vondelpark, the municipality helped out. That’s great to experience. It’s nice to hear from the participants that they enjoyed the city. And the city of them. Everywhere in the center people showed up in the same tracksuits, in the subway and streetcar spontaneous demonstrations were given. That spontaneity is part of this branch of gymnastics.”
