21. September 2007  
Cottbus / Germany  
Artistic Gymnastics

PREVIEW: GWG-Cup - major European event for junior gymnasts- GYMfamily Event

XXII. INTERNATIONAL GWG-CUP 2007 - "Masters of Tomorrow"!
The German team champion SC Cottbus is organizing the "GWG-Cup", a international junior tournament of the highest prestige for the 22nd time.
This time, the organizers are expecting about 27 teams from 17 countries on 22nd/23rd September 2007.
The organizers - who also organize another favourite competition of the stars of the international artisitic gymnastics scene, the world cup  "TOURNAMENT OF MASTERS" - use the GWG Cup up to groom the "masters of tomorrow" in this prestigious talent-seeking competition.

Most of the German gymnasts who recently made their mark at the Stuttgart WCh also participated in this event...

Coverages look at the German GYMmedia Event Service

Once upon a time as juniors at the GWG-Cup
(- here: 2003: Boy, Woitalla, Gladow, Fahrig, with trainer Milbradt, l.)

The Saxonian hosts, one of the highest quality training centres for both elite and junior gymnasts, will be entering many young gymnasts for the contest in the Lausitz-Arena.

«We want to give our young talents an opportunity to present their performances to aninterested audience», says head of training centre Rainer Hanschke, who as the former German head trainer has a great interest in bringing his own junior gymnasts up to international standards.

The members of the present German national team all appreciate the inportance of their GWG experience!
In total the organizers will be able to welcome about 180 guests from Germany and abroad. And many will not be coming for the first time, because in the course of the years this tournament has truly developed into a 'tournament of the masters of tomorrow'.

Org-Chief Reinhard RAU congratulates the GWG-Cup-winner of 2003, Philipp BOY

Many well-known and successful gymnasts, who later participated in the yearly Cottbus „Tournament of Masters“ , first performed with the little masters. The most recent example and inspiration not just for the SCC juniorsis the Cottbus gymnast Philipp Boy. The gymnast, who is now 20 years old, won the GWG-Cup several times over and recently was part of the team of the German gymnastics association (DTB) which was so successful at the Stuttgart World Championships .
And Boy's team mate Robert Juckel, who also returned from Stuttgart with a bronze medal, also stood atop the winners' rostrum in Cottbus at the beginning of his career. He has for some years been a member of the national team. «This is a motivation for the juniors to try and achieve similar goals,' says Reinhard Rau, who is conscious of the importance of the GWG-Cup as a springboard for the world wide artistic gymnastics circuit. Steve Woitalla, who lead the Cottbus GWG-CUP-Team last year, only narrowly missed gaining a place for the first time at the WCh this year.
National teams rehearse for the Junior ECh
Several countries will be sending their national teams to Cotbus this week. 'These are gymnasts who are chomping at the bit', says Rau. In this way the GWG-Cup is also a preparation and motivation fothe next  Junior European Championships for the young gymnasts.

Two gymnasts per nation in each of the age groups, 11 to 14 (from 9.30 pm) and 15 to 18 (from 2.30 pm), will perform on September 22nd.

>> Participants age group 11 - 14    >> Participants age group  15 - 18


* GYMmedia "GWG Cup" Flashback:

>> 2006 ; ... >> Impressions 2006

>> XX. GWG Cup 2005;    >> 2004;    >> 2003