37th World Championships are opened...

Friday evening at 7 p.m. local time the 37.th and biggest World Championships of artistic gymnastics in history were opened with an opening ceremony in Anaheim, Cal./USA.
Gymnasts with their national flags from 80 countries - so much like never before in 100th years old history of this event - marched into the arena. The first worlds took place 1903 in Antwerp/Belgium.

Bela Karolyi (USA)

OPENING CEREMONY
Eigentlich war eine 2-Stunden-Show angekündigt, aber bereits nach weniger als 60 Minuten entließ man die Teilnehmer und Gäste doch ein wenig enttäuscht wieder aus der Arena, so dass der zeitliche Aufwand der Rückkehr in die Quartiere fast länger dauerte, als das Ereignis selbst...
Der in den USA als 'd e r Erfolgstrainer' an sich populäre Ex-Rumäne Bela Karolyi produzierte sich zu Beginn persönlich und erinnerte an alte 'Mary-Lou-Retton-Zeiten' und an die glorreichen Erfolge der Olympischen Spiele von 1984 und kündigte 'Großes' auch bei dieser WM an.
Moderiert wurde die Veranstaltung von dem ehemaligen USA-Auswahlturner und '84er-Pauschenpferd-Olympiasieger Peter Vidmar.

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>> (1) IMPRESSIONS - Opening Ceremony,
by Tom Theobald (San Diego, Cal./USA

van de Leur: No start in Anaheim!

BAD NEWS FROM ANAHEIM...
Two Dutch gymnasts, Verona van de Leur (NED), and Renske Endel (NED) both medallists of the lat world champs in Ghent and Debrecen and also the reigning world champion on beam Ashley Postell (USA) have been pulled from their country's lineups at the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships, which is set to begin on Sunday at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. Postell has been suffering from the flu and will be replaced by Chellsie Memmel, the successful girl from the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo at last . Memmel took part in Thursday night's podium training, from which Postell was absent.
On a press conference Friday Dutch head coach Frank Louter announced that stars Verona van de Leur and Renske Endel would be pulled from the country's lineup:
Van de Leur (silver medalist on floor, Debrecen 2002) is not fully recovered from the ankle injury that has bothered her since the world cup in Thessaloniki this spring.

Endel, who won the historicel firts Dutch silver on bars at the 2001 Worlds, underwent a tonsillectomy a few months ago and did not take part in the Dutch National Championships.
The women's competition begins Sunday with the team and individual qualification. The U.S., the Dutch teams and also the German team will compete in the same and second subdivision at 11 p.m. , local time.

>> ... back to Anaheim 2003