FéDéRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE
FIG International Press Review – January 10 – 23, 2009
GYMNASTICS
Liukin Named 2008 USOC Co-SportsWoman of the Year
January 22, 2009 (NBC Sports): 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, was named the 2008 U.S. Olympic Committee’s Co-SportsWoman of the Year with swimmer Natalie Coughlin. Liukin, who earned five medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, is the third individual gymnast to win this award, joining Kim Zmeskal (1991) and Carly Patterson (2004).
Gymnast Dru is not too old
January 20, 2009 (The Star): Dru Troon’s philosophy on sport is that you’re never too old to try something new. Healesville’s 62-year-old gymnast is preparing for her first Masters Games this February where she will be competing in the women’s gymnastics on floor, mini trampoline and uneven bars. Mrs Troon is familiar with late starts, competing as a gymnast for the first time at 40 years of age.
Coach Shu Wai now a hot property
January 19, 2009 (The Star): Former national artistic gymnast Ng Shu Wai has become a hot property again after completing a three-month coaching stint in Hungary. The Selangor Amateur Gymnastics Association (SAGA) have made their move to hire the talented Shu Wai as the coach for their state gymnastics programme.
If the deal materialises, Shu Wai will be making his return to the gymnastics scene after being dropped from the national training programme in 2007.
Aussie finds rhythm with rope
January 18, 2009 (AOC): Spectacular performances in the rhythmic all around gymnastics competition concluded this morning in an emotional medal performance at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre.
China Dominates Last Day of AYOF
January 18, 2009 (International Gymnast): Chinese gymnasts won four of the five apparatus finals on Sunday, the final day of the Australian Youth Festival in Sydney.
Brazilian gymnast adopts Japanese training
January 17, 2009 (Xinhua): Diego Hypolito, the Brazilian gymnast, revealed on Friday his new tactic of training, which is a Japanese style. The athlete, along with his coach, has decided to adopt a Japanese style of training, designed to give the athlete more time on equipment and less time working out. After a disappointing performance in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Hypolito realized that something had to change in order to become more competitive.
Bouncing to the top of the dais
January 17, 2009 (AOC): Australia have taken their first gymnastics gold medal for the Festival, with Alexandra Freeman winning the women’s trampolining at the State Sports Centre today.
With a total point score of 95.60, Freeman comfortably edged out Japan’s Kishi Ayano (94.20 silver) and Canada’s Mariah Madigan (92.50 bronze).
Mighty Meghan
January 17, 2009 (Stuff): Super-fit Meghan Ashford was on crutches a year ago and struggling to cope with a career-threatening knee injury. Now she has made history by becoming the first New Zealander in a decade to make it to the finals of the junior world aerobics championships.
Jumping on the bench with Cirque du Soleil
January 16, 2009 (Naperville Sun): Long before it became the fantastic franchise it is today, back in 1992 Cirque du Soleil first offered its show "Saltimbanco," a name which comes from the Italian "saltare in banco" and which means "to jump on a bench."
During its original 14-year tour, under a big top circus tent, "Saltimbanco" visited 75 cities on five continents, for a total of more than 4,000 performances before a combined audience of 10 million people.
Shock win for Team GB at gymnastics
January 15, 2009 (AOC): Great Britain has sprung a major upset beating world superpower China to win the gold medal in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastic Teams event at the Youth Olympic Festival at Homebush in Sydney. Team GB toppled the favorites with a total of 247.201 compared to China’s 236.400. The Australia A Team won the bronze medal with a total of 234.765.
Chinese Women, British Men Win in Sydney
January 15, 2009 (International Gymnast): The Chinese women and the British men won gold medals in Thursday's team competition at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney.
Although the Chinese women had only the third-highest team total on vault, they dominated the field on uneven bars and balance beam to outscore the silver medal-winning Japanese women by 1.100 points.
Gymnastics: Tweddle preparing for big year
January 14, 2009 (Crewe Chronicle): Beth Tweddle is preparing for what could well be the most challenging year of her career. Now back in training after recovering from a shoulder operation, the gymnast from Bunbury will spend 2009 building towards a shot at glory at the World Championships in London in October.
Tweddle remains the only British gymnast to win a world title – on the uneven bars in 2006 – and despite the fact she will reach the grand old age of 24 in April, she is hoping to win a second.
Two U.S. Olympians join field for American Cup
January 14, 2009 (Daily Herald): Two of USA's 2008 Olympic medalists, Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind., and Joseph Hagerty of Rio Rancho, N.M., will join 2008 U.S. all-around champion David Sender of Arlington Heights and 2008 U.S. junior all-around champion Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich. at the 2009 Tyson American Cup on Feb. 21, at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates.
Herbst's Motivation High for 2009
January 13, 2009 (International Gymnast): After almost making Germany's team to the 2008 Olympic Games, Susann Herbst told IG she is confident of her continued rise in 2009.
"I was very happy to be the second reserve on the Olympic team, because it was a big success for me," said Herbst, who turned 17 on Dec. 1. "My motivation is very high for 2009, because I came very far in 2008."
SPORTS WORLD
Cuba to Compete in First Caribbean Games
January 19, 2009 (Periodico): Cuba will compete in four of five sports in the First Caribbean Games to take place in Trinidad and Tobago on July 12-19.
To get the latest details on the event, Ruperto Herrera, vice president of the Cuban Olympic Committee, attended a general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of the Caribbean in Curacao.
New IOC Forum on Sport for Peace and Development
January 15, 2009 (IOC): Today the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched the registration process for the first ever International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development, which will take place at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne from 7 to 8 May 2009.
As a socially responsible organisation, the IOC is engaged in sports development at grass-roots level, aiming to increase access to physical activity worldwide as well as to improve social and human wellbeing at large.
London 2012 'tier one' sponsor facing bankruptcy
January 15, 2009 (Sport Business International): Canadian telecommunications firm Nortel, one of the ‘tier one’ sponsors of the London Olympics, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
The International Herald Tribune newspaper reports that London 2012 organisers hope that the company will continue to support their event, either by restructuring under bankruptcy protection, or finding a buyer.
2012 hopefuls eye Sydney success
January 14, 2009 (BBC Sport): The road to London 2012 starts down under this week for 120 talented teens, according to Team GB's new boss. British Olympic Association (BOA) chief executive Andy Hunt is part of Team GB's contingent at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney. The five-day event, which will be contested by over 1,500 athletes from 31 countries, started on Wednesday.
Youth Olympics 'gives athletes valuable experience'
January 14, 2009 (ABC News): Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates says the Australian Youth Olympic Festival gives athletes their first experience of competing at major international games. The festival started today with more than 2,000 athletes competing over the next five days. The AOC has run the games every two years since 2001 to prepare competitors for life at big events.
Asian Games Set To Transform Guangzhou
January 14, 2009 (The Sport Briefing): The 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou will change the face of sport in the Chinese city, according to local officials. Liu Jiangnan, director of Guangzhou’s sports bureau, told China Daily that preparations for the event will see 11 new sports facilities constructed and a further 60 renovated. The city is also planning to invest more than US$1 billion to develop new parkland areas and introduce at least 23 new “cultural buildings” such as a new library, museum, theatre and exhibition centre.
Federations Approve Tokyo 2016 Venue Proposals
January 11, 2009 (The Sport Briefing): Tokyo’s sports venue plans for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been approved by all 26 participating international federations. The Japanese capital has pledged to provide the most compact Games in Olympic history with 95% of the venues set to be located within an eight kilometre radius. Along with fellow candidate cities Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid, Tokyo will submit its Candidature File to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on February 12.
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