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Around seventy enthusiastic members of the Royal Dutch
Gymnastics Federation (KNGU) have been appointed ambassadors
of the 2010 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
Co-ordinated by Aniek Remmits and Britta de Cort, two
budding gymnastics coaches currently studying at the Tilburg
Academy of Sports and Exercise, the ambassadors will promote
the 2010 Worlds at gymnastics clubs and events, with an eye
to ensuring that come October 2010, the entire Dutch
gymnastics community is aware that the world’s best gymnasts
will be performing in the Netherlands from 16-24 October. In
order to help them do their job, the ambassadors regularly
receive newsletters containing information on the World
Championships and tips about events where they can promote
the Worlds. The ambassadors then attend these events,
dressed in exclusive polos with the logo of the 2010
Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. In so doing, they
are seeing to it that every gymnastics club in the
Netherlands is aware of the upcoming Worlds and looking
forward to attending the event. Most of the seventy
ambassadors hand-picked to promote the Worlds attended the
2009 National Championships, held in Ahoy Rotterdam, 20-21
June 2009, having been invited to do so by the Rotterdam
2010 Organising Committee. At a special meeting in Ahoy, the
ambassadors were informed on the ins and outs of organising
the World Championships. Among those attending the meeting
were Epke Zonderland and Wyomi Masela (pictured above), two
successful Dutch gymnasts who are looking forward to
competing in the Worlds. Both Zonderland and Masela
expressed great appreciation of the ambassadors’ work,
because it will increase their chances of performing in
front of a sell-out home crowd (surely every athlete’s
dream). At the Dutch Nationals, the two national team
members presented Rotterdam sports councilman Peter Lamers
with the first entry ticket to the Worlds (see photo). |
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