31. May 2003  
Wigan/Great Britain  
Artistic Gymnastics

Tough test against the World Team Champions

Today was held a 5-way International and World Championships Trials in Men’s Gymnastics between the world champin of 2001 Belarus, France (4th place in Ghent), Switzerland, Germany, and host Great Britain. The location was the Robin Park Sports Centre, Wigan.
>> Results and Report by Vera Atkinson...:
The competition was a classic!
- by Vera Atkinson
Wigan normally associated with Rugby League (Wigan Warriors and Ellery Hanley) and Soccer (Wigan Athletic, newly promoted to the first division of the Football League) has, since the emergence of the Atherton twins (Kevin and Andrew), the building of the Arena and the Gymnastics Centre, plus the appointment of Mike Lea, become a major feature of Gymnastics performance and competition.

What started out as an “in-house” control competition in Lilleshall National Sports Centre between Great Britain and Switzerland, finished as Wolfgang William, the Technical Director of the German Gymnastics Federation, stated “as a Mini European Championships”.
Despite the weekend being a major sporting event with Wigan playing Leeds at Rugby League, the Gymnastics competition attracted a good, knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience, which contained many former International gymnasts and judges. Dick Gradley is ageless, and Bob Currier and Arthur Hansen were scrutinising every mark given by their friend Bert Dooley.