South African Gymnastics Federation

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office,: Organiser of the 1st Gym For Life Challenge, Eva Thurnher (AUT), visited the SAGF offices in Cape Town (RSA) to assist the federation in preparing their bid for the 2013 Gym For Life Challenge.

Last year, officials of the South African Gymnastics Federation (SAGF) and the City of Cape Town visited Dornbirn (AUT) on a fact finding mission to understand the concept of the Gym for Life Challenge, a new event concept from the FIG. They returned from this trip with a commitment to bid for the 2nd Gym for Life Challenge in 2013, as Cape Town has the ultimate goal to bid for the World Gymnaestrada in 2019, an event that attracts over 22 000 participants.

With this in mind, the federation embarked to prepare for the presentation of the bid which will take place at the FIG Council Meeting to be held in May 2010. A thorough feasibility study, led by SAGF Manager of General Participation and Administration, Anne Cameron Smith, is being carried out which explores all the facets of organising the event. With Eva’s knowledge of the previous event, this has helped the federation to fully grasp the scope of the event and the various opportunities available to make this event work in Cape Town.

When asked whether Cape Town had the capacity to host the event, Eva’s reaction was one of confidence and belief in the abilities of the federation and the City of Cape Town. The federation is fortunate to be able to tap into such a valuable knowledge source.

should these not be under a dedicated Conferences and events thread?

Its an interesting one.... must have a chat with my family about this one since we're all heavily involved in gymnastics in this country.

The 1st Gym for Life World Challenge 2009 was held from the 15th to 19th July in Dornbirn, Austria. An entirely new event of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) for choreographed group gymnastics, this event will take place in the future every four years in a 2 year interval between the World Gymnaestrada’s.
A South African delegation consisting of SAGF and City of Cape Town Sports, Recreation & Amenities officials visited Dornbirn to observe the event with a view to bid for the 2013 Gym for Life World Challenge.



Elizabeth Cameron Smith, CEO of South African Gymnastics said, "The long-term goal is to bid for the 2019 World Gymnaestrada. Bidding for the 2013 Gym for Life World Challenge will serve to show South Africa's ability to host an event on the scale of the World Gymnaestrada."



The delegation met with various officials from the FIG, the Dornbirn Organising Committee and the Dornbirn City Officials in an effort understand the requirements to host a Gym for Life Challenge.
Following the trip to Dornbirn, active measures have been undertaken to bid for the 2nd Gym for Life Challenge 2013.
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