20. Dezember 2003  
Antwerp / Belgium  
Artistic Gymnastics

9,000 Spectators saw a spectacular Olympic Gala!

World Champion Paul Hamm (USA)

In the late Sunday evening more than 9,000 enthusiastic spectators saw the traditional 'OLYMPIC GALA Flanders 2003' in the Sports Palais of the Belgian city Antwerp.
About 40 international stars of all gymnastics disciplines, Olympic, World, European or national champs celebrated a high-levelled program.
Among the participants was artistic gymnastics all-around World champion Paul Hamm from the USA...
This has also been the first public opportunity to present some new Olympic apparatus from the 'Pegases Company' Janssen&Fritsen...

(c) Photos: FIG photographer Volker MINKUS

Grandios show...

It was absolutly not comparable with the public dress rehearsal one day before!
At the main event of the Antwerp OLYMPIC GALA Flanders 2003 on Saturday evening the world stars of gymnastics were going beyond their abilities and the 9,000 spectators were full of inspiration for nearly three hours!

Catalina Ponor (ROM)



Shortly before the venue had been used for a concert and the loudspeakers still were installed. This gave the opportunity for incredible sounds at the gymnastics event. The audience was especially impressed by the Russian tumblers.

A lot of cheers were also there for the beam routine of Romania's Catalina Ponor and the performance of the World Champion and 2nd of the World ranking-list Marian Dragulescu. After his performances in the tour of the German Gymnastics Federation, the 'DTB-Gala', this now has been his last performance for this year. He jokingly performed a vault without even touching the 'Pegases'.

Russian Group



The audience of the Antwerp Olympic Gala has been thrilled by this event in which so many World-class performances were presented.
One of the most celebrated performances has alos been the one of the Russian RG group with their great choreography.
In Germany they are already well-known within the gymnastics scence and now they also made the audience in Belgium laugh - the group 'Los Barros', with former international gymnasts Effing and Geiger, presented their funny show which has been well-liked also here among the various presentations of the different gymnastics disciplines. Belgium currently goes through an upswing in gymnastics, they traditionally have been strong in acrobatics.

A lot of attention has also been paid to the new apparatus of the 'Official Olympic Supplier Janssen&Fritsen' who showed them for the first time in public at the Olympic Gala in Belgium. The company, known as the 'Pegases company' was the first to present this new vaulting apparatus here in Belgium at the World Championships in Ghent:

The Belgian Günther Couckhuyt at new pommelhorse

>> This time a pommel horse has been the new apparatus. It has a typical Pegasus-foot and show completely new pommel variations...
>> Also a sensational floor has been presented which does not only consists of parallel lanes inside but also of diagonals which have special spring qualities.
>> Two new types of spring boards were also presented type A-hard, type B-smooth.
That means in future the atheletes will have a choice between the two different types A and B...

More information on the new Janssen&Fristen apparatus, which already will be used at the Olympic Games, will follow shortly.
E.Herholz, GYMmedia
ANTWERP OLYMPIC GALA FLANDERS 2003
This online coverage is realized by GYMmedia and powered by JANSSEN&FRITSEN,
'Official Supplier of the Olympic Games Athens 2004,

- photographed by FIG photographer Volker Minkus (GER):
>> GALA IMPRESSIONS (1)

>> GALA IMPRESSIONS (2)