(AGENPARL) – dom 30 luglio 2023 FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE
PRESS RELEASE
The World Gymnaestrada comes home
AMSTERDAM (NED), 30 July 2023
For its 17th edition and a celebration of its 70-year anniversary, the World Gymnaestrada returns to the Netherlands, the country where it all started in 1953.
Among the world’s international grassroots sports events, the World Gymnaestrada takes some beating. Over the next week in Amsterdam, nearly 19,000 participants from 56 countries will come together to celebrate Gymnastics. From an opening ceremony at the Olympic stadium to national performances and large group performances at Amsterdam’s RAI exhibition centre, as well as stages throughout the city for shows by individual groups, the world of Gymnastics will make its mark on Amsterdam with participants from the ages of 1 month to 93 years representing a broad mix of cultures and abilities showing off the full diversity of the sport.
“We are very proud to welcome all the participants of the World Gymnaestrada in the Netherlands this week,” says Monique Kempff, Chairman of Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation. “I can’t wait to enjoy all the different performances and shows here in Amsterdam. For me, this event is where the diversity of Gymnastics is shown and the ultimate moment where pleasure and performance meet.”
Back to the roots
There will be an extra level of celebration at this 17th edition of the World Gymnaestrada, since the 2023 edition marks both the 70th anniversary of the event and the second time that the World Gymnaestrada has been held in Amsterdam. This makes the hard work of the organising committee all the more worth it, according to its president Manon Crijns: “We have worked on this for a long time, and with great pleasure. But all that effort over the past four years has been more than worth it. Because finally the time has come and the 17th edition of the World Gymnaestrada can start.
“Seventy years ago, in 1953, the very first edition of the World Gymnaestrada was held in Rotterdam. In 1991, Amsterdam hosted the event, so in a way, the event is coming home. The Netherlands is proud of that legacy and we are absolutely looking forward to making this edition, in the RAI, the Olympic Stadium and the Vondelpark, another fantastic week. We are getting ready for a wonderful sporting spectacle and we can’t wait to see all the happy faces, incomparable performances and beautiful stories of the participants. Everyone is invited to experience this with us. Get ready to be amazed!”
The world unites
In an event brimming with superlatives, whose unofficial motto is “mates not medals”, the emphasis is on entertainment in a programme full of Gymnastics in all its forms, with a few surprises in store. Some countries will bring together thousands of participants from different clubs for their national performances, other shows will represent entire continents, while large group performances will bring together different cultures. On the city stages, some of the more than 650 different Gymnastics clubs attending the event will show off their routines. A World Team performance at Amsterdam’s Olympic stadium promises to include the theme of tulips and the colour orange that are so readily associated with the Netherlands’ national identity.
FIG President Morinari Watanabe, who will be attending the opening ceremony on Sunday 30 July, said “It is an honour to celebrate the 17th World Gymnaestrada in the Netherlands, where it all began 70 years ago. Amsterdam, as a multicultural and dynamic city, is the perfect location to celebrate this precious milestone. I look forward to being amazed by the great performances of all participants and to enjoying the unique atmosphere of the World Gymnaestrada!”
For the full programme, visit the official website at [https://worldgymnaestrada2023.com/](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013LCZMTslVg8a8VKOkGFxaotzYGHWKEiqccJwvJuPBJga_dyCeJoJW5KLFDohzCA-0dd78uKNzXyU8B6tBdKra54ysam1bbNNNwhmd8d-2rj9iE6G5TIIxNlVmO0dBgYlmbrFSze2WDl18yPFzhd1fNyYMoN0JEKK&c=GyE0vx6hkod7vjB1JRtfcBM4ToX3LHf2FhNit1TlYS6xEhLeojPnmQ==&ch=AwLpbuL92-KWbRdC7K0JLjoewNIcSnhaBfsgiVFearbXsbG_bOxkeA==) or download the World Gymnaestrada app at [https://worldgymnaestrada2023.com/en/official-wg2023-app/](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013LCZMTslVg8a8VKOkGFxaotzYGHWKEiqccJwvJuPBJga_dyCeJoJW5KLFDohzCA–vQmjPIaxJ3mkRHLNRLTwPBsvYc_P9kHIZm5um-7N-5yxIKQoYHP9vfvMazKDYVs7_BHqTxUQEUajWmyvAW4S4wdrUr_bp3pxc5-wJm_-gvFRflGGOkiUHoiAV3Ulbg-&c=GyE0vx6hkod7vjB1JRtfcBM4ToX3LHf2FhNit1TlYS6xEhLeojPnmQ==&ch=AwLpbuL92-KWbRdC7K0JLjoewNIcSnhaBfsgiVFearbXsbG_bOxkeA==)
For the latest news visit: [https://gymnastics.sport](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013LCZMTslVg8a8VKOkGFxaotzYGHWKEiqccJwvJuPBJga_dyCeJoJW5KLFDohzCA-VUVYxRqCVnizqykmIdz4lDQrLlMvtg4Ua721owGLgYezk8EUOO0g3uBlFn3mm7UjUgkJEa9O4kbqb7a-TPG17g==&c=GyE0vx6hkod7vjB1JRtfcBM4ToX3LHf2FhNit1TlYS6xEhLeojPnmQ==&ch=AwLpbuL92-KWbRdC7K0JLjoewNIcSnhaBfsgiVFearbXsbG_bOxkeA==)
And for behind-the-scenes coverage, follow the FIG and local organising committee social channels using the hashtags #WG2023 and #BeAmazed.
About the FIG: The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for Gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international federation of an Olympic sport and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs eight sports: Gymnastics for All, Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline – including Double Mini-trampoline and Tumbling -, Aerobics, Acrobatics, and Parkour. It counts 162 national member federations and has its headquarters in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne (SUI).
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