After the decision was taken by the International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) Executive Committee during their meeting at the Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki (FIN) on Thursday, FIG President Prof. Bruno Grandi (ITA) and Prof. Friedrich Manseder (AUT), President of the Austrian Gymnastics Federation (OeFT) signed a corresponding agreement for Austria to host the 2019 World Gymnaestrada.
It will be the third time for Austria and the second time for Dornbirn hosting the FIG’s Gymnastics for All flagship event, which is the biggest international Gymnastics festival in the world and attracts more than 20,000 participants every four years. Previous editions of the World Gymnaestrada on Austrian soil were held in 1965 in Vienna and in 2007 in Dornbirn. The event was inaugurated in 1953 in Rotterdam (NED) and the 16th edition is scheduled for July 7 – 13, 2019.
FIG President Grandi said: “I am very happy with the decision to allocate the 16th World Gymnaestrada to Dornbirn. We have received a strong bid from our Austrian friends. I am especially delighted for all participants who will be able to once again enjoy the hospitality of Vorarlberg, the City of Dornbirn and the whole population of the surrounding cities and villages who make the spirit of the World Gymnaestrada come alive. I am looking forward to working with the very experienced Organising Committee of Dornbirn.”
FIG Gymnastics for All President Margaret Sikkens Ahlquist (SWE) said: “I am very happy that we will have an experienced organiser for the World Gymnaestrada in 2019. This time they will only have four years to prepare, but they know what to expect and they know what is needed. The whole region will be prepared!”
OeFT President Manseder fully supports the local Gymnastics institutions in the Vorarlberg Region and has enormous respect for the organisers in Dornbirn. “In 2007, Dornbirn and Vorarlberg made a name for themselves in the international world of Gymnastics when they organised the event perfectly. Gymnastics for All has a very strong tradition in Austria. So it is a big honor for us to host this outstanding event again. I am convinced that the local Gymnastics clubs and the population in Vorarlberg are again ready to give a warm welcome to the World Gymnaestrada participants in 2019,” he said.
About the FIG: The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: Gymnastics for All, Men’s Artistic, Women’s Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Aerobic and Acrobatic. It counts 142 national member federations and boasts a 28-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne (SUI), host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).