25. November 2020  
London, Sofia  
Artistic Gymnastics

Vera Atkinson-Marinova is retiring

Vera Atkinson-Marinova

<< Vera ATKINSON-MARINOVA, the British head of media and public relations of the British Gymnastics Federation for many years, is retiring after a quarter of a century of committed and successful work. The former Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics world champion, who won two golds and one bronze between 1967 and 1971 as a member of the Bulgarian group, later made a name for herself as the voice of the gymnastics disciplines on Bulgarian television.
Vera Marinova left her home country in 1995 as the later head of TV sports for the former Bulgarian state television. In Great Britain she married the British gymnastics legend John Atkinson, the legendary British national artistic gymnastics coach and subsequently the imaginative initiator and motor of modern aerobics development on the island but also worldwide ...

... as an active top-gymnast in the Sixties!

In her function as head of media and public relations for the British Gymnastics Federation, she accompanied the impressive upswing in the gymnastics disciplines in Great Britain. Thanks to her professional and obliging manner, Vera has always been a competent, reliable and cooperative partner for her press colleagues all over the world.

"I still vividly remember her technically very convincing competence when I presented our aesthetic sports to a broad audience with her on the TV reporter stations of the Olympic Games in Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992) or the European championships at the time of the political fall in Athens was allowed ", says GYMmedia boss Eckhard Herholz," but above all because she was such an extraordinarily lovable and helpful colleague professionally, personally and as a colleague."
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Vera Atkinson was the first woman in the gymnastics world to receive the "IOC Diploma" from the International Olympic Committee in 2002!
In 2008 she received the "Bulgarian State Order" of the highest category in her Bulgarian homeland, which so far only six people before her received, presented by the Bulgarian Minister of Sport. (Photo,right).
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Her former home country as well as her gymnastics friends on the island as well as the many journalistic colleagues all over the world will miss her dedicated work, but will keep fond memories.
(C) gymmedia