Ghent, Host of the 35th World Championships of Artistic Gymnastics, Visit

Hightech & Knowhow

De niewe Topsporthal Vlanderen,
locatie voor het WK.

.The Venue of the coming World Championships

That is the new “Topsporthal Vlanderen” in Ghent, location for the 35^th World Championships at the end of October/beginning of November. A huge poster indicates the first gymnastics World Championships of the new millennium, since the Belgians organized the very first gymnastics World Championships in 1903 in Antwerp.

Although the gym is equipped for athletics at the moment, activities concerning the preparations for the gymnastics-top-event of the post-Olympic year have started already. The official general supplier of these world competitions- the Dutch company “Janssen&Fritsen”, producer of the new vaulting table “Pegases”- has just started the installation of a remarkable gymnastics center, which will be the warming-up gym for the World Championships at the same time.

GYMmedia was at the World Championships location in Ghent:

Flandern´s new top gymnastics center

On the right hand behind the Topsporthal (photo on the right) the shell of an attractive gym is located, which will, together with the facilities of the big arena, contain the biggest and most modern gymnastics center of the Benelux states. With technical know-how the company “Janssen&Fritsen” will care for modern equipment, that meets the demands of serious sports.

J&F have just started the installation of pit and longe systems. Within 6 weeks the gym shall be handed over to the operator, the Vlaamse Turnliga VTL, who organizes the approaching World Championships at the same time.

Then this gym-complex (right, behind the competition hall) will function as a combination of warming-up gym and competitive arena and will be presented to the international public.

Dirk van Esser

Dirk van Esser, secretary general of the Vlaamse Turnliga VTL and technical director of the Championships organizing committee, stated in an interview with GYMmedia that it is especially due to the World Championships that this top-gymnastics center is being erected and will come into effect in mid-June already. During the days of the World Championships it is at the international elite’s disposal as a warming-up gym. The resolutions of the FIG councils intend to exclude the warming-up from the competition order.

In the shell of the gym the J&F representative Hans Teklenburg presented the future gym to us, while installations were running:

The J&F invention-the vaulting table “Pegases” - will be installed of course, over there, where the huge foam blocks are at the moment the run-ups, including the ones for acrobatics and tumbling, will end at a special vaulting pit.

Hans Teklenburg, the J&F technical director presents the pit, where the future “Pegases”-vaults will finish…


The J&F project manager Martin Rakels (foreground) and Frank Vrolix (on the right) controlling the work		Above the pit there is a modern 4-point-longe system.		Hans Teklenburg explaining the projekt

It is part of the Dutch company’s philosophy to establish a close contact between the training praxis and its demands. Due to that it was not surprising at all to meet a Belgian coach during the installation period, which has just begun

Dirk van Meldert (VTL-Trainer) demonstrting the high of the bar
"We will try with our boys to come into international finals in a couple of years..."

We noticed an exceptionally deep horizontal bar pit. Here a horizontal bar is being installed in the ground according to the wish of coach Dirk van Meldert. The pole of the horizontal bar is only 1 meter above the brink of the pit. The training gymnast is surrounded by foam, the coaches are able to help with elements above the pole of the horizontal bar.

Die Reck-Grube - noch ein überdimensional tiefes Loch.
Dort, wo jetzt noch der Schaumstuffblock steht, wird eine Gasse für die Riesenfelgen der Turner geschnitten.

Dirk van Meldert is working with 9 boys from the age of 12 to the age of 17 at the moment. From September on the employment of another coach is expected, maybe from the Ukraine. It is then, when the training center is completed and when the included boarding school will make a training twice a day under best conditions possible. This includes acrobatics, where Belgian VTL-gymnasts already influence the top competitions.

Hans Teklenburg with the concluding statement: “It is a question of honor for our company J&F that we will hand over this gym in an excellent quality on the date (July29th 2001). The World Championships spectators will have the opportunity to get an impression of High-tech & Know-how “Made in Netherlands.”
Opening of the TOPGYMNASTIEKHAL on July, the 29th.

(GYMmedia report from Ghent,:
by Eckhard Herholz

German version

Please, have a look: GYMmedia-Exclusiv-Interview with the Secretary General of the Vlaamse Turnliga VTL, an Technical Director of the Irganizing Committee Dirk van ESSER.

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11-05-01
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