PREVIEW: 20th UEG- Congress, Vienna, Austria

20th UEG CONGRESS, Vienna

From Thursday to Saturday (Oct. 9th – 11th 2003) the 20th Congress of the European Gymnastics Union (UEG) will be held in the hotel “Wiener Parkhotel Schoenbrunn”.
231 delegates from 43 countries – among them many famous former World and Olympic Champions – will, in addition to the usual “general meeting- topics”, discuss mainly about the following three major topics:
- taking of a decision on new formats for the European Championships which better suit the market
- dealing with the applications for the European Championships until 2007
- election of a new UEG President as Klaus Lotz (GER) after his 10-year long term of office will not be available again

On the first day of the event symposia in the individual gymnastics disciplines take place in the former guest house of the emperor in the hotel “Parkhotel Schoenbrunn” in Vienna:
Women’s and men’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, sports acrobatics, sports aerobics, euroteam and general gymnastics.
Friday (Oct. 10th) starts with a forum for the presidents of the European Gymnastics Federations. This forum will lead into a colloquium on basic questions regarding event marketing and strategic event planning. The UEG General Meeting starts in the afternoon but its highlights will follow on Saturday, Oct. 11th (9.00 am – 6.00 pm). This day starts with a report from Klaus Lotz on the topic “More comprehension for reforms!” and then the highlights of the general meeting will follow with the elections and votings.

Boa de Jesus (POR) and
Dimitropoulos (GRE)

Dimitros Dimitropoulos from Greece, who is the current Vice President, and Manuel Boa de Jesus (currently in the executive committee) from Portugal are the candidates for the position of “European Gymnastics President”. The result of this election is completely open and it is expected to be a neck-and-neck race for the lead of the European Federation which has the most elite athletes, the longest tradition and with more than 10 million active athletes (!) has the largest spread and represents the widest variety with the many gymnastics disciplines.

Through this one position will be available in the Executive Committee, the highest board of the UEG. Sylvio Kroll, the former World Champion from Germany and Olympic Silver Medalist and current tournament director of the Grand Prix in Cottbus, applies for this position. For a few years already he holds the position of a “president of the board of control” in the UEG. Strong competition for this position comes from the host nation of this congress with the President of the Austrian Gymnastics Federation Dir. Mag. Franz Fetti, who stands for a ”modern and success- orientated profile of the UEG”, as well as from the Czech Gymnastics Federation with President Jiri Kubicka.

UEG CONGRESS SCHEDULE

>> Wednesday, Oct. 10th 2003:
- 9.00 am -7.00 pm: Pre- Meeting of the UEG- Executive Committee

> Thursday, Oct.10th 2003:
- 9.00 am -6.30 pm: Meetings of the Control and Technical Committees as well as work groups in all disciplines;
- 7.00 -8.00 pm: Joint Meeting of the Executive Committees, the Board of Control as well as all TC’s and work groups

> Friday, Oct. 10th 2003:
- 9.00 -10.00 am: Forum of the Presidents of all European Gymnastics Federations
- 10.00 am -1.00 pm: Colloquium
- 03.00 -6.00 pm: General Meeting (1)

>> Saturday, Oct. 10th 2003:
- 9.00 am -6.00 pm: General Meeting (2), Farewell for Klaus Lotz
- from 8.00 pm on: Official Banquet

- gymmedia -

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