World Gymnaestrada Day 1

7.7.2019. An incredible sense of anticipation filled every corner of the Trade Exhibition Centre in Dornbirn as the Gymnaestrada groups gathered for the first time on the Opening Day.

The summer sun shone down on smiley faces as old friends were reunited and new friendships were made. Spontaneous singing and dancing made for a carnival atmosphere – the Brazilian group transported us to Rio with a capoeira masterclass, and the Swedes and the Danes had a dance-off outside the Gymnaestrada Mile!

The news came through that the Opening Ceremony was to be postponed due to stormy weather, but this hardly seemed to matter: the World Gymnaestrada in all its joy and colour had well and truly kicked off here!

Groups made their way to the centre of Dornbirn, where the Swiss, British and Australian teams treated the local population to a spontaneous performance to the tune of “Like a Rainbow in the Sky”, the official song.  A similar Flashmob was taking place at the same time in Feldkirch involving the Japanese and Austrians.

The carnival continued well into the night, as each town officially held Welcome Parties, including for the British in Lauterach, for the Danes in Götzis, for the Malawis in Nenzing, the Germans and Americans in Bregenz, and much much more!

It’s just the first day and Vorarlberg is already getting the full Gymnaestrada experience, and nobody cares about the weather!

World Gymnaestrada Day 2

8.7.2019. Day 2 picked up exactly where the first day left off, with a frenzied atmosphere of fun, creativity, and togetherness.

Fresh from a hearty breakfast at their host schools, performers could be spotted all across Vorarlberg making their way on busses, trains and more, to venues including the Casino Stadium in Bregenz and the Halls of the Trade Exhibition Centre in Dornbirn.

The morning included stand-out performances by groups from Honduras, Greece, Brazil, and Finland among others. There was also a beautifully serene routine presented by a small group of older Japanese ladies, who meet once a week to practice gymnastics as a time-honoured way of keeping healthy in good company.

Later in the day came the first Large Group Performances at the Casino Stadium in Bregenz, featuring teams from the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Finland. There was also a notable joint performance from a united Czech/Slovak team.

The evening saw the National Evenings kick off – fittingly firstly with Austria and Switzerland. The Swiss wowed the crowds with acrobatic displays, while Austria gave a colourful display featuring performers of all ages, including guest performers from Kenya where Austrian instructors had previously travelled to exchange skills and experience.

The result was a moving performance where Austrian gymnasts joined in performances of traditional African dances, and African gymnasts dances along to old-fashioned Austrian steps. A fitting multi-cultural collaboration for this most multi-cultural sporting event.

World Gymnaestrada Day 3

9.7.2019. The World Gymnaestrada really entered its stride on Tuesday with a programme which seemed to fill the whole of Vorarlberg from Lake Constance to the Alps!
During the day there were group shows all day at the Exhibition Centre in Dornbirn, including an eagerly-awaited Chinese show, and a moving piece by Greece entitled “Refugee”. Further down the valley there were performances in Lustenau, flashmobs in Hohenems, and city-centre shows in Feldkirch.

In the evening, the German Evening and the Nordic Evening (comprising Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) absolutely brought the house down with a colourful show featuring participants of all ages.

Later on it was party time. For one week only, the tiny border town of Mäder has been taken over by over 600 Brazilians, and on Tuesday they brought a colourful party performance which turned Mäder into Rio for the night. Across in Rankweil meanwhile, there was just as much international fun going on at the British, Australian and Tonga evening. The endless energy at this event is absolutely incredible!

World Gymnaestrada Day 4

10.7.2019. Wednesday was the day many had been waiting for: the rescheduled Opening Ceremony. And it was absolutely worth the wait. One by one the countries emerged, proudly flying their flags, until the stadium was a spectacular rainbow nations – each team had clearly taken the “Show your colours” motto to heart. In keeping with the ethos of the event, people from all walks of life and all ages were represented – including the oldest participant from the Netherlands, aged 90 and here in 2019 having attended the first ever Gymnaestrada in 1953! There followed emotional speeches from the organizers, who had put so much work into making this happen, and then an extra special live performance of the official song, “Like a rainbow in the Sky”.

As if the Opening Ceremony wasn’t already enough excitement, shortly afterwards the Dornbirn Special also took place at the Birkenwiese Stadium. This much-anticipated event featured huge group performances, and also the World Team with participants from ALL over the world joined as one. To provide a local touch, four brass bands merged into one for a fitting musical accompaniment. Later, as always, it was time to dance the night away at one of the many events, including at Bregenz Hafen by the lake, Dornbirn Market Square, and in Götzis a huge treat: a one-off city-centre show from Zurcaroh. This was something of a homecoming show after attending the 2007 Gymnaestrada and going on to reach worldwide fame last year on America’s Got Talent.

World Gymnaestrada Day 5

11.7.2019. After such a glorious Wednesday with two enormous showpiece events (Opening Ceremony, Dornbirn Special), you’d be forgiven for thinking things got quiet at the Gymnaestrada…. No chance! On Thursday morning the whole region was just as buzzing as ever. Participants enjoyed their breakfast at their host schools, cooked and served by some of the 8000 volunteers, before heading to open-air events in Höchst, Lustenau and Hohenems, and of course the Casino Stadium in Bregenz. We also took a moment to check out the Messequartier performance, where a huge Swiss team brought the house down

In the evening, it was time for the National Evenings. The 800-strong Portuguese team had been spotted all week in Vorarlberg in their green tracksuits, and this evening it was time to take centre stage. They didn’t disappoint, giving a dazzling display all under an earth-loving theme, possibly one of the biggest highlights so far.

Meanwhile over in the biggest hall it was time for “Japan & Asian Friends”, where teams ranging from kids groups to university students to old ladies of leisure gave moving performances showing the true variety of gymnastics. Last but not least was the highly-anticipated Pan-American Group, with a show which was as diverse as you’d expect from a continent which stretches from the North to South Pole!

World Gymnaestrada Day 6: FIG-Gala

The gala of the International Gymnastics Federation FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique) was one of the special events of the World Gymnaestrada 2019 – an event that should present the diversity of „Gymnastics for All“ and its interpretation by the FIG. In the 90-minute gymnastics, light and music show, groups from all continents performed in a combined programme and brought the international flair of the World Gymnaestrada into another level.

For the selection of the teams, all FIG member associations were asked to propose groups. This was done in the form of films showing the standard and quality of the performances of the respective groups. A coordinator was nominated in the Local Organising Committee who set up the FIG-Gala together with the Swiss choreographer duo.

The colourful programme under the motto “Imaginastics” with groups from Australia, Benin, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, the Czech Republic and the USA led to a world in which political topics were questioned in a creative way.

World Gymnaestrada Day 7

The last day of the World Gymnaestrada has come: some teams already had to say goodbye to Vorarlberg and the World Gymnaestrada 2019 on Saturday. The last great event, the Closing Ceremony on Saturday afternoon in the Birkenwiese in Dornbirn, was still on the programme. One last time the gymnasts from all over the world came together to enjoy the impressive show of 5000 athletes from 20 nations. A special moment was the official presentation of the flag of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to representatives from Amsterdam, where the World Gymnaestrada will take place in 2020.

In the evening, lots of celebration took place for the last time. In the city center of Dornbirn and in the national villages in the Rhine Valley (Rheintal) there were closing parties where the gymnasts could celebrate, dance and review the World Gymnaestrada in Vorarlberg for the last time.

For Vorarlberg it was a week with a special international flair, many encounters, new friendships and a lot of unforgettable moments.