Worlds: Romanian Gymnastics Fan Postcard from Aarhus                        
In the first event World championships in gymnastics, with only having a team from which not much was expected, the red-yellow-and-blues were only fighting themselves (the Chinese were out of reach anyway).


[Nov 1] Tweddle in Glasgow event
The Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK
    Beth Tweddle Britain's first gymnastics world champion, will be among the competitors at the 10th Glasgow International Gymnastics Grand Prix at the Kelvin Hall next week.
   Numerous Olympic, world and European champions and medallists will take part in the tournament including the Romanian, Marian Dragulescu, the current world champion on floor and vault, and Elena Zamolodchikova, the double Olympic champion from the Sydney Games in 2000.

Halloween-gymnastics or... Fun videos? / Not the official tools of gymnastics
   ...that's for sure. I wonder if we can text message him some more points? He definitely deserves a perfect 10 for flying (video)

[Oct 30] UTAH GYMNASTICS: Coaches on the injured list
Salt Lake Tribune - United States
  The Utah gymnastics team has suffered two critical and potentially season-ending injuries in a week, but the traumas won't affect the lineup one bit. How so? Instead of the training room filled with banged-up gymnasts, this time it is the coaching staff that is having the troubles.
   A week ago Friday, assistant coach Jeff Graba f ruptured his biceps while spotting on the uneven bars. He had surgery Tuesday, but it's doubtful he'll be able to spot this year. On Friday, Utah coach Greg Marsden stepped back on a soft mat and possibly tore the anterior cruciate ligament...

Fox Sports video -Soccer/  Training: Gymnastics
   ...It's a beautiful day. Why not stand in triangle formation and learn the fine art of futbol gymnastics with Christopher Sullivan.

[Oct 30] Women share moments with dads
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
   "Love You, Daddy Boy" is a collection of 70 stories written by a diverse group of women in government and politics, entertainment, literature, business, sports and religion. Among them are Nancy Lopez, Margaret Thatcher, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Nadia Comaneci, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Elizabeth Dole, Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan.

[Oct 29] Bieger wins second gold medal at DTB-Pokal World Cup
   STUTTGART, Germany, Oct. 29, 2006 - 2006 all-around world silver-medalist Jana Bieger of Coconut Creek, Fla., won her second gold medal at the 2006 DTB-Pokal, a World Cup event held in Stuttgart, Germany.
2006 DTB-Pokal results: Women's event finals

[Oct 29] EBU protests against decision of International Olympic Committee
    The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has officially protested against the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to hold the finals of the swimming and a number of gymnastics competitions at the 2008 Olympics in the morning in Beijing, corresponding to the middle of the night in Europe.
   The EBU says that, with this decision, the IOC ends the tradition of staging these finals in the evening irrespective of the time zone at the venue.

[Oct 29] Kung fu baby -By Anita Bath
  Some pregnant women tell me that their unborn child must be doing gymnastics while in utero. Others say the kids are going to be boxers they hit the mother so much.
    Still other babies are born with gifts that take others decades to master. Much to the mother’s dismay, the baby in this clip must have spent months perfecting these moves before birth. I’m not sure if this baby is practicing to be a Jedi Knight or Kung Fu master …(see funny video)

[Oct 29] When are children ready to start activities?
Kokomo Tribune; Kokomo, Indiana
   Carrie Shrock’s daughter, Elizabeth, started tumbling on her own before she was 18 months old.Celebrating her second birthday on Oct. 21, Elizabeth has participated in her classes for six months. Shrock said her daughter has learned many skills in that time.
   “Just the coordination and listening and doing what the teacher says, everything has changed,” Shrock said. “At first, she would just run around like crazy, it was a big room to run in. Now she sits still and listens to what needs to be done.”
    Shrock said gymnastics is her daughter’s only activity, because she doesn’t want to overwhelm her. She likes the opportunity for Elizabeth, an only child, to be around other children and to learn the teacher/student relationship before she goes to pre-school.

[Oct 28] USA wins gold, bronze medals at 2006 DTB-Pokal World Cup
   STUTTGART, Germany - 2006 all-around world silver-medalist Jana Bieger of Coconut Creek, Fla., won the uneven bars and 2006 U.S. World Championships Team member Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif., finished third in the still rings at the 2006 DTB-Pokal, a World Cup event held in Stuttgart, Germany.
   Bieger will compete in two more event finals on Oct. 29. Bieger, who competes for Bieger International Gymnastics, scored a 15.425 to win the uneven bars title. Russia's Polina Miller was second at 15.375, and Germany's Oksana Chusovitina was third with a 15.325. Bieger, who also was a silver medalist on floor at the 2006 World Championships, will compete in the finals for balance beam and floor exercise.
  2006 DTB-Pokal results: Women's event finals, Men's event finals

Worlds: A Romanian Gymnastics Fan at World Gymnastics Championships
 Andrew Kerr, Atlanta, USA, www.kingpigeon.com
      I know the results for Romania were not as high flying as one would have dreamed (a fourth place women's team finish is rough), but I think the women made an excellent debut for a fresh team. If they can get a little more depth, they'll totally rock. As for Dragulescu, man, what a credit he is to gymnastics; a real Romanian national treasure.      
    Three things were clear to me at the event:
1) The Romanians are the proudest gymnastics fans on earth (evident in part from the giant flag -see photo at right by Andrew Kerr- draped against the wall behind the balance beam)*
[*nice to hear that, it's our Project]
2) Marian Dragulescu is Romania's gymnastics MVP bar none, and
3) while coming up short of (probably what were always over-inflated) expectations, the women's team shows great promise.

forgetfoo.com:  28 Man Laws
   ....28.There is no reason for guys to watch Ice Skating or Men's Gymnastics. Ever.

[Oct 28] Worlds:  Gold rush!
ic CheshireOnline - UK
   SINCE she carved her name into British sporting history last Friday, Beth Tweddle's life has gone, by her own admission, 'a bit crazy'. Her mobile phone has barely stopped ringing, her in-box is full of more than 100 text messages and she has a string of television appearances lined up, including a forthcoming date with the BBC's Question of Sport team.

[Oct 28] Jacques Rogge will Attend Havana World Congress on Sports
Ahora.cu - Holguín,Cuba
   The president of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge will attend the inauguration ceremony of the 11th World Congress "Sports for All", next November 1st in Havana, event organizers announced on Thursday.
   During his stay in Havana, Jacques Rogge will tour the old section of the city, he will take part at a meeting of the Sports Commission of the International Olympic Committee and he will attend a gymnastics festival that will open the World Congress.

[Oct 28]  World of sport attracts celebs
Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada; International Herald Tribune - France
    NEW YORK—Some are attracted by speed, others by danger. Some crave competition, others need a hobby. Celebrities ranging from actors to politicians long have been enticed by the sports world. Chef Bobby Flay, mountain climber Ed Viesturs and former Olympic gymnastics champion Shannon Miller are among the other celebrities signed up for the New York marathon next weekend.
   Miller said she had considered running a marathon for several years, finally deciding she wanted to do it before turning 30 next spring. She ran a half-marathon in Jacksonville, Fla., in early October to prepare.
   "After I retired from competition, I was in need of goals. I always had a goal in gymnastics, whether it was the next meet or the next skill. Law school was one, and getting my undergraduate degree," she said. "I went sky diving. I learned to scuba dive. And I thought, `I should do a marathon."
   "I think it's something we learn from a very early age. You always need to be moving forward, you always need to be progressing in some way," Miller said. "Not only is it helpful to be physically fit, it also gives you that feeling of accomplishment."

[Oct 28]  Saturday update: No.10 hottie, vote note, food
By Paul Ryburn
    ...Overseas, Romanians recently voted Stephen III of Moldavia, also known as Stephen the Great, also known as Who The Hell Is He, the greatest Romanian of all time. Gymnast Nadia Comaneci came in 10th in the nationally televised poll.
    Surprisingly, Henri Coanda, who created the first jet aircraft in 1910, didn't make the top 10. Coanda is considered a national hero in Romania even though his jet crashed. The international airport in Bucharest is named after him. If I ever travel to Romania I think I'll take a train or a bus.
[our note: Coanda discoveries were used for all modern jets; Stephen The Great is the only King which has managed to stand up for a record 47 years in front of Turkish Empire-without him, all The Western Europe could have been filled with mosques, only!]

[Oct 27] Worlds: Tired of Being No 2
Black Enterprise - New York,NY,USA
   China' top male gymnast Yang Wei's next mission is crystal clear after his triple-gold winning sojourn at the Aarhus World Championships - an individual all-round title at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The talented but somewhat unfortunate two-time world individual all-round runner-up, finally showed his dominance at the worlds in Denmark by pocketing three gold medals on men's team, individual all- round and parallel bars.

[Oct 27]  Devotion to duty pays off as Tweddle leaps into the elite
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
   Winner of the European title earlier this year, an understandably jubilant Tweddle, 21, revealed that she had two more ambitions to fulfil before turning her back on a punishing training schedule which involves six arduous and often painful six-hour sessions a week while her university chums in Liverpool are out clubbing and pubbing.
   "The Beijing Olympics in 2008 and then the following year's World Championships in London. Competing on home ground would be the perfect way to finish my career," she said. "I started doing gymnastics because I loved it. I dreamed of being good enough to compete in the Olympics, but I never really thought about anything like this happening. I don't have the words to describe how I feel. It's all a bit surreal."

[Oct 27] Bieger, Durante,Tan selected to compete in DTB-Pokal World Cup
SFCPressPoint (press release) - Tampa,FL,USA
   INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– 2006 all-around world silver-medalist Jana Bieger of Coconut Creek, Fla., and 2006 U.S. World Championships Team members David Durante of Garfield, N.J., and Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif., will represent the United States in the 2006 DTB-Pokal, a World Cup event held in Stuttgart, Germany, Oct. 27-29.
   The event’s schedule has qualification rounds on Oct. 27, with the finals on Oct. 28-29. World Championships Sports Network (WCSN) is carrying the final two days of the 2006 DTB-Pokal on WCSN.com. In addition to seeing it when it airs, fans can also watch the competition at a time most convenient for them through WCSN’s on-demand archive. The webcast is 2-5 p.m. on Oct. 28-29 (all times are Eastern). For more information, go to wcsn.com.

[Oct 26] Olandt named to gymnastics team
Agoura Hills Acorn - CA,USA
  Madison Olandt, 11, of Westlake Village, has been named to USA Gymnastics' 2006 Talent Opportunity Program National Gymnastics Team and has earned the right to participate in the TOPs Training Camp Dec. 2 through 6 at USA Gymnastics' National Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.
   TOPs is USA Gymnastics' annual program to identify young gymnasts who have the ability to excel in the sport. More than 3,100 gymnasts participated in state and regional testing, with more than 300 qualifying for national testing based on the state and regional scores. The TOPs team has about 70 gymnasts, approximately 20 in each age group.

[Oct 26] Morning AA and team gymnastics finals set for Beijing
   BEIJING (Reuters) - The swimming finals and much of the gymnastics at the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be held in the morning, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday. The competition schedule for the Games had finally been agreed by the IOC's executive board "after a thorough consultation process," IOC coordination commission chairman Hein Verbruggen said at a news conference.
     The team and all-round individual events in the gymnastics are set for the morning, although the individual apparatus events will be contested in evening sessions.

[Oct 26] Worlds:  Cheng Fei: Zhang Nan still spiritual leader
China Daily - China
  Cheng Fei, fresh from the 39th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, where she captured three of the eight golds China took out a possible 14, remarked that now "Zhang Nan is the pivotal figure (of our team)". The three golds marked Chen's most successful gymnastics championships yet.
   Cheng, 18, was honoring her mentor and teammate Zhang, 20, who didn't win an individual title at the championships, during an interview with sina.com.cn at Beijing Capital International Airport after returning from Denmark on October 24, 2006.
   "I believe Zhang still has the potential to develop by 2008. She's already a world champion now after her run of bad luck," Cheng said. She said that Zhang is still the women team's spiritual leader both in terms of technique and world arena experience.

[Oct 26] Worlds:  Rizzo heads straight to the bar
The Australian - Sydney,Australia
  AUSTRALIA'S first gymnastics world champion says he will get back on the bar soon, but only once he's finished celebrating at the other bar. High bar world champion Philippe Rizzo, 25, arrived back in Australia today after claiming gold at the World championships in Denmark earlier this week.
   "I'm taking a couple of days off, I'll get back on the bars once I've finished at the bar, having a few drinks with my mates,'' Rizzo said.

[Oct 26] Worlds: Tweddle at full stretch as she prepares to raise bar yet again
The Sunday Times - UK
   MOST world champions do not rest for long. That is one reason why they are world champions. Beth Tweddle returned to training yesterday only five days after becoming the first Briton to win a world gymnastics title.
   Amanda Kirby, Tweddle’s coach, thinks that one turning point came in the early 1990s when Adrian Stan, the Romania national coach, arrived in Britain to tell the trainers that they could work their athletes harder. “We have a reputation as a nice nation who make people happy,” Kirby said. “Adrian gave me a lot of inspiration.”

[Oct 26]  Congratulations for the Romanian gymnastics team and coaches



   Even though you are rebuilding the program - stay positive and bring on the gold in 2008.
     Good work :) Smile Sandra, you achieved lots!
     Well done girls, and coaches.
      Rachel
---------------------
    Hello Romanian team!
    I'd like to tell you that I enjoyed your achievements at the WC Aarhus very much. I wish I was such a great gymnast!
   To be with you in the same hotel at the sixth floor was very nice also. All of my teammates were jealous! And I was very surprised that you eat that much Nutella at breakfast! Is that your secret? Then I'm going to eat it too!
    I wrote a story about our visit to Aarhus on the website of my gymclub (www.kdoapeldoorn.nl) with a picture of me and the female team. I invite you to visit this page and write a message in our guestbook.
    I surely will visit Amsterdam to support you all at the European Championships in april! See you there, and I wish you all the best!
    Your fan
    Kirsten Klaassen
    from Holland


[Oct 25] Student Who Fell, Died Liked Urban Gymnastics Game
CBS2 Chicago - Chicago,IL,USA
   (CBS) URBANA, Ill. A University of Illinois student who plunged to his death from a broadcast tower participated in an activity in which people leap over ledges and walls, officials said.
    Christopher Fu, 20, of Wilmette, was a New Trier High School graduate and a junior in computer engineering at the U of I at Champaign-Urbana. It appeared that he fell from the tower at the university's radio and television stations in Urbana, and he was later pronounced dead. Investigators found his green scarf and a pair of his sunglasses about 140 feet up the tower.

[Oct 25] Worlds:  Fuming coach
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
   Romanian coach Nicolae Forminte was fuming that the Italian had won the title despite tumbling off the beam. "Apparently you have to fall off an apparatus in order to become world champion. It's laughable," he said.
   He later went up to Bieger at the news conference and told her: "You should sit in the middle" pointing to the winner's chair. "In the whole history of gymnastics, it never happened that a gymnast who falls won the world title," he added.
   Officials were quick to highlight that Ferrari's triumph proved the new cumulative scoring system, awarded for content and execution, was rewarding those who are willing to take risks with their performances.
  Related: Nicoale Forminte about falling and...still winning at Worlds

   JR Robotics Shows Off Some Robot Gymnastics
  JR Robotics, in collaboration with VStone, just introduced several new humanoid robot configurations and were demonstrating what the new robots were capable of at the All Japan PlaModel/RadiCon Show in Chiba this week.
  The demonstrations that they specifically put together to show off the new robots, include doing gymnastics on a bar - pull-ups and giant spins.    Unfortunately, since the robot doesn't have any hands, the bar was passed through openings in the robots arms - so it's impossible to fall off. It does, however, demonstrate the considerable torque available from the JR servos used in the arms. (see video)
  [looks like finnaly, B&B may have their "Dream Team"- but these robots needs arms to pay the 30% "tax" imposed to their former gymnasts]

[Oct 25] Worlds: Beth back to her studies after world medal triumph
   HIGH-flying Beth Tweddle claimed Britain’s first ever gold medal at gymnastics World Championships - but was soon back at university lectures.
   After a weekend celebrating she was back at Liverpool John Moores university, studying sports science degree at 9am yesterday. Then she dashed to Park Road sports centre in Toxteth, where she trains, to celebrate with friends.
  She also plans a special meal with parents Jerry and Anne, and brother James to celebrate her win this week. Beth, who lives in the city centre, said: “It was the proudest moment of my career so far. Now the next target is an Olympic medal in Beijing 2008, and then I’d be looking at retiring."

[Oct 25] Worlds: GYMNASTICS. BRESCIA THANKS VANESSA FERRARI
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia - Italy
    Brescia "To Vanessa Ferrari, a butterfly on top of the world" is what was written on a banner put up at the training centre of Brescia, a way to thank the new star of world gymnastics, Vanessa Ferrari, to turn 16 years old on 10 Nov, after winning a gold and two bronze medals at the World Championships in AArhus.
    Vanessa, a sweet smile and a steel attitude, was at Palazzo Loggia today with her mother and father, Galia and Giovanni, and some high school mates, to receive everyone's acknowledgment. Her trainer, Enrico Casella, and the president of Ginnastica Brixia, Folco Donati, were there too. The first to congratulate her was Brescia mayor, Paolo Corsini: "Italy's hopes for the Olympic games of Beijing 2008 lie on you now".

[Oct 25] Worlds: Rizzo races to Aussie gymnastics history
  Philippe Rizzo cast aside a career-threatening elbow injury to claim Australia's first ever world gymnastics gold in Aarhus on Sunday.
  Rizzo gave one of the only clean rotations as Romanian Marian Dragulescu, winner of the vault and floor titles, and South Korea's Kim Seung Il both came off the bar and Japan's Takehito Mori fell forward on his landing.
  "It's still not good yet. I had a month off and then got back to training in July. It's pretty amazing that I've done so well here," he explained. "A few months ago I didn't know if I'd be able to compete."

[Oct 25] Worlds: China's gymnasts return home in triumph
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China

[Oct 23]  Americans go back to work, hoping for better results next year
International Herald Tribune - France
  Karolyi acknowledged the vast improvement of the Chinese program that shockingly beat the Americans in the team finals. But she has no intention of changing her method, which has always been to worry about her own girls, not the others. "We're comparing with the highest level that we want to get, not comparing with anybody else," she said early in the week.
  As it turned out, there is plenty to explore within her own program:   _Execution: In team finals, every routine counts, so mistakes such as the Americans made — Chellsie Memmel's fall off the bars and Jana Bieger's bad landing on vault — can't be made if gold is the goal. [...]
   _Injuries: Memmel, the 2005 all-around champion, missed the Athens Olympics and the individual portion of these worlds, which certainly cut into America's medal total. [...]
     _Personnel: Karolyi benched Ashley Priess and Natasha Kelley for team finals after both fell from the beam in qualifying. That's her choice, but it surely couldn't have helped those girls' confidence for the future. [...]
   _New rules: America lost a good chance at gold when Alicia Sacramone, the defending champion on floor, was docked a half point in qualifying because of a technical rule regarding dance passes. [...]
   _The future: The names Shawn Johnson and Samantha Peszek should become familiar over the next two years. They're two top up-and-comers and will challenge for a spot on the Olympic team. Memmel is 18 and Liukin will soon be 17. Whether they can hang on two more years is a big question.
    "We've just got to go back and work even more," Karolyi said. "It's the only thing we can do."

[Oct 22] Worlds:  USA unable to win single gold for first time since 1999 Zee News - Noida,India
  Aarhus, Oct 22: There were gold medals at the world gymnastics championships in Denmark on Saturday (October 21) for Marian Dragulescu on the vault -- his second title; Iryna Krasnianska surprising the favourites on the beam; Yang Wei underlining his mastery of the parallel bars; Cheng Fei on the floor -- her third win; and Philippe Rizzo on the horizontal bar getting Australia's first ever win at a world championship.
  Marian Dragulescu tumbled to glory on the floor on Friday and the Romanian made sure he landed on two feet after both of his vaults to win his third world title on the apparatus with an average of 16.487.
   Iryna Krasnianska surprised the favourites with her deft flips on the balance beam to give Ukraine their first gold in 11 years at the world championships. She had to wait 10 minutes for her score of 15.575 points as the crowd grew impatient and started booing the judges. It was enough to beat Romanian Sandra Izbasa by 0.075 points and Canadian Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs by 0.100 points.
   Romanian Izbasa scored 0.025 more than Krasnianska on execution, but her routine's difficulty level of only 6.40 made the difference between gold and silver.

[Oct 22] Congratulations for the Romanian gymnastics team and coaches


[Oct 21] Worlds: Final medals table at the gymnastic worlds

[Oct 21] Worlds: China closes out a dominating week at worlds
International Herald Tribune - France
   AARHUS, Denmark The sleeping giant of gymnastics has come alive at a very interesting time. China won two more gold medals at the world championships Saturday to close the meet with eight. That's more than half the 14 golds awarded over nine days in Denmark — a record, and a staggering display of dominance for the upcoming host of the Olympics.
   The medal haul was the kind that might have been expected from the Soviet and Romanian gymnastics dynasties of yesteryear. But now it's China, a country of 1.3 billion people that has always had the talent, but not the execution, to make this happen.

[Oct 21] Worlds:  Dragulescu enjoys double triumph
   AARHUS, Denmark, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Marian Dragulescu grabbed gold on the vault to claim his second title at the world gymnastics championships on Saturday. Having tumbled to glory on the floor a day earlier, the Romanian made sure he landed on two feet following both of his vaults to win his third world title on the apparatus with an average of 16.487.

[Oct 21] Worlds: Ukraine's Krasnianska wins beam gold
    AARHUS, Denmark, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Iryna Krasnianska surprised the favourites with her deft flips to grab gold on the balance beam at the world gymnastics championships on Saturday. She had to wait 10 minutes, as the crowd grew impatient, for her score of 15.575 points, surpassing Romanian Sandra Izbasa by 0.075 points and Canadian Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs by 0.100 points.
    Top qualifier Zhang Nan from China competed despite suffering a scary training injury that required a trip to hospital on Friday. She tied for fourth with Russia's Anna Pavlova. All-round champion Vanessa Ferrari of Italy fell during her routine and finished sixth.
    American Nastia Liukin could not defend the title she won last year in Melbourne after hurting her ankle earlier this month.

[Oct 21] Worlds: Tweddle sparks drama as China dominate
Guardian Unlimited - UK
   Along with Tweddle, Marian Dragulescu became the only non-Chinese athlete to taste victory on Friday.
   Dragulescu picked up Romania's first gold medal here when he tumbled to glory on the floor exercise. He scored 16.250 with a series of complex twists and soaring somersaults, eclipsing defending champion Diego Hypolito and Olympic gold medallist Kyle Shewfelt.
   "I'm glad that I'm still the number one on the floor," Dragulescu said after clinching his third world title on the mat following his successes in 2001 and 2002.

[Oct 21] Worlds:  Gold for teen Ferrari at worlds
Peninsula On-line - Qatar
    AARHUS, Denmark • European champion Vanessa Ferrari spoiled Chinese hopes of a title sweep at the world gymnastics championships here yesterday when she snatched Italy’s first ever women’s world title by winning the all-around gold.
     Sandra Izbasa, meanwhile, gave Romania their first medal of the championship after the Olympic women’s team champions failed to medal in that event for the first time in 25 years. “I didn’t expect to win this medal but I’m sure the Romanian team will come back,” she said.
    Romanian team coach Nicolae Forminte insisted that his team were in the rebuilding process. “The last time we didn’t win a medal it was a selection problem. This time Romania was able to come with six gymnasts for six because the others didn’t have the age to compete,” said Forminte.

[Oct 21] Worlds: Chen, Cheng and Xiao add to Chinese gold rush at worlds
Turkish Press - Plymouth,MI,USA
   Chinese gymnasts reaped more gold at the world championships, claiming another three titles to bring their haul to six out of nine so far.
   "It's because the team preparation has been so good. We always had quality but to be winners you need to perform consistently. You need to be stable as a team for success and we had that now."
     Marian Dragulescu, 26, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist and 2001 and 2002 world champion on floor, took gold ahead of defending champion Diego Hypolito of Brazil.

[Oct 21] Worlds: Romania's Marian Dragulescu tumbles to glory
Reuters Canada - Toronto,Ontario,Canada
   AARHUS, Denmark (Reuters) - Marian Dragulescu picked up Romania's first gold medal at the world gymnastics championships on Friday when he tumbled to glory on the floor exercise. Dragulescu earned a score of 16.250 with a series of complex twists and soaring somersaults, eclipsing defending champion Diego Hypolito and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt.

[Oct 20] Worlds: Nicoale Forminte about falling and...still winning at Worlds
    Romanian gymnastics team main coach Nicolae Forminte made these statements earlier today for www.romanian-gymnastics.com (about Ferrari's AA *victory*-see also above article and statements):
   "It's very dangerous to change the spirit of competition; it's not the gymnast's fault; I respect her work and efforts.
    The problem was created by those which have decided that; if a gymnast who falls, win the AA title at Worlds Gymnastics Championships, it will be very difficult for us in future to demand to our gymnasts to execute correctly.
   We may come close to a moment where we shall...beat each others in fallings, not in clean executed routines!" - Nicolae Forminte

[Oct 20] Worlds: Romania coach fumes at Ferrari victory
    AARHUS, Denmark, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Romanian coach Nicolae Forminte lashed out at the judges at the world gymnastics championships after Vanessa Ferrari was declared the winner of the women's all-round contest despite falling off the beam.
   "Apparently you have to fall off an apparatus in order to become world champion. It's laughable," he told reporters on Thursday. "In the whole history of gymnastics, it never happened that a gymnast who falls won the world title."
    He later went up to silver medallist Jana Bieger of the United States at the news conference and told her "You should sit in the middle" pointing to the winner's chair. The 16-year-old smiled at the suggestion and shrugged it...

[Oct 20] Worlds: A Ferrari Takes Gold in World Gymnastics
Washington Post - United States
   Romanian Sandra Raluca Izbasa won a surprise bronze in the women's all-around and made up for her country's first shutout at worlds in the team event since 1981.
   "Chellsie Memmel and Nastia are still the best in the country," Andrea Bieger said. "So, this is an amazing thing for us. With Jana, I think it shows we've got three girls who can make a part of a very, very great team."

[Oct 20] Worlds:  Nicolae Forminte has congratulated China's coach
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
  ...After the finals, Nicolae Forminte came up to Lu Shanzhen, Chinese women's team coach, to congratulate him over China's first ever title. "You were strong on some of the apparatus, but you are strong on all apparatus this time. You did a good job on this," said Forminte to Lu.
[romanian-gymnastics.com : a nice gesture, a new, better attitude at staff]

[Oct 20] Italian Ferrari grasps the women's all-around at gymnastics worlds
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
    Italian teenager Vanessa Ferrari stunned the women's all-around competition to win her first world title at Aarhus gymnastics world championships in Denmark on Thursday.
    Ferrari, 16, overcame her drop from the beam to demonstrate a superb floor exercise routine in her last discipline to win by 61.025 points. She finished second in the qualifiers behind defending champion Chellsie Memmel.
    Jana Bieger, a member U.S. squad in 2005 Melbourne worlds, finished second with 60.750 points, and Romanian Sandra Raluca Izbasa was third with 60.250 points.

[Oct 19] Worlds: IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please note that the apparatus finals October 21 start at 2.30 pm instead of 3.00 pm as indicated earlier.

[Oct 19] Worlds: Injured Memmel unable to defend her world title
USA Today - USA
    AARHUS, Denmark — Defending world champion Chellsie Memmel withdrew from the women's all-around at the world gymnastics championships Thursday with a shoulder injury.

[Oct 19] Worlds: 31-year-old mother ready for all-round finals
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
   She is a 31-year-old mother, but she is still competing in Aarhus gymnastics world championships. Who is she? she is Oksana Chusovitina. What's that for? for son. Her son stayed two years in the hospital but is now well, attends gymnastics classes and wants to play football.

[Oct 19] Worlds: Romania miss medals for the first time in 25 years
   AARHUS, Denmark, (Reuters) - Olympic champions Romania failed to win a women's team medal for the first time in 25 years at the world gymnastics championships on Wednesday.
   With a new coach and an inexperienced team, Romania finished fourth behind China, the United States and Russia after winning five of the last six world championships and the last two Olympic titles.
    The last time Romania missed out on a top three finish was at the 1981 Moscow world championships. "Every nation has ups and downs, and my duty is to drag Romania's wagon up the hill," said coach Nicolae Forminte. "I will do it for sure, we need just a little patience."
     Forminte took the helm when controversial long-time coaches Octavian Belu and Mariana Bitang resigned last year after being accused of demanding cuts from gymnasts' prize money.
      "Romania's team is in reconstruction," Forminte said. "This was the most difficult year. But we have great juniors who will have the right to compete beginning next year and Romania's team will surely look different."
  Specialist's predictions: Romanian gymnastics at Worlds Chships
# RIGHT:  Roxana Toma (Sport Total):   -WAG team: 4 place;
 # WRONG & STUPID: "The Romanian gymnastics team is not expected to catch one of the 8 places in team finals, according to the former Romanian coach, Adrian Stan [which now works for British Gymnastics].
     His statistics is based on latest contests where the team has competed. Team main coach Forminte does not believe in such predictions, because at those contests (in UK, Spain) only few members of the World Romanian gymnastics team have had competed."  

[Oct 19] Worlds: New code of scoring system starts well, says FIG
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
   International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) breathed sighs of relief after the new code of scoring system had been challenged only five times by Wednesday at Aarhus gymnastic worlds in Denmark.
   "It has been a revolution for some in the world of gymnastics but we have already seen effects. New countries have come up through the qualifications and broken the dominance of Russia and Romania," Grandi said.

[Oct 19] Worlds: Instant replay system makes judging more transparent  
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China     
   The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is managing to cast off the harassment of judging debacle after introducing the instant replay system to the Aarhus gymnastics worlds to assist settling the scoring dispute.
   Until recently, judging in gymnastics was a closed affair with very little recourse for gymnasts who felt that they had received an unfair score. Now things are different. A new digital instant replay system has made judging more transparent and also preserves each and every exercise for posterity on DVD that every one can buy.

[Oct 19] Worlds: Chinese Women Upset U.S. in Gymnastics
Forbes - NY,USA
    China knocked off the heavily favored U.S. women in the world gymnastics championship finals Wednesday, an upset that came courtesy of a mistake-filled evening that stunned and perplexed them and the team that beat them. "Totally, totally unexpected," national team coordinator Martha Karolyi...

[Oct 18] Worlds: Liukin lists team's gold as top task at gymnastics worlds
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
    American talented teenager Anastasia Liukin overcame the hindrance of sprained ankle to take the first place in uneven bars with 16.200 points in first-day's qualifiers, but she gave more credit to team title rather than the individual honor.
    "The team title is my priority, and my individual event is not the matter I will consider for now," said the 17-year-old after the qualifiers. "I thank my team give me the opportunity to compete here and I am so eager to contribute for the team victory."

[Oct 18]  Gymnastics chief: Hamm is Olympic champ
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
     AARHUS, Denmark -- Maybe someday, they'll eat dinner together. If they do, the leader of the world gymnastics federation knows exactly what he would say to American gymnast Paul Hamm.
    "If I were eating a plate of spaghetti with him, I'd say 'Paul Hamm is the Olympic champion," Bruno Grandi said Tuesday, twirling his hands as though he were spinning pasta with a fork.
     That was news to Hamm, who conceded it's the first time he has heard anything amounting to a rapprochement from Grandi, the federation president who suggested Hamm share his all-around gold medal with a South Korean gymnast after a judging mistake in Athens.

[Oct 18] Bowling Green gymnastics team sanctioned for hazing
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA
   BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University's gymnastics team has been barred from taking part in a non-conference competition after a September hazing incident. New members of the women's team were psychologically hazed by returning members for one week, according to a statement from the athletics department.
   The team, which competes in the Mid-American Conference, will not be allowed to participate in the Illinois Invitational at Illinois State in March.

[Oct 18] Worlds: China comes back, wins men's gymnastics title
Canada.com - Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
    The team that won worlds in 1999 and 2003 and the Olympics in 2000 only to fall to a surprisingly bad fifth place at the Athens Olympics finished with 277.775 points.
    That was 2.375 more than Russia, which won a surprising silver. Defending Olympic champion Japan, expected to be part of a two-team show with China, finished third - a stunning disappointment punctuated by defending all-around champion Hiroyuki Tomita's fall off the high bar at the end.

[Oct 17] Worlds: Chinese women fall three times
International Herald Tribune - France
   AARHUS, Denmark The Chinese team could challenge the United States if its gymnasts stay on the equipment better than they did Tuesday in their qualifying round at the world championships.
   After getting off to a very strong start on the beam — actually scoring nearly two points higher than the American women did the night before — the Chinese fell once on the floor and twice on the uneven bars.

World Gymnastics Championships 2006 photos: Xinhua photos, click here

[Oct 17] Worlds: Toronto gymnast leads Canadian team
Canada.com - Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
   AARHUS, Denmark (CP) - Toronto's Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs bounced back from a shaky start at the world gymnastics championship Monday to remain in the hunt for an individual event final. After the first day of the women's qualification, Hibbs is ranked third overall on beam and in the running for a spot in the individual event finals later this week.
    In the team competition, the Canadian squad - consisting of Hibbs, Alyssa Brown of Oakville, Brittnee Habbib of North York, Ont., Marci Bernholtz and Rebecca Simbudhas, both of Unionville, Ont., and Crystal Gilmore of Halifax - are ranked 10th after the first day of qualification.

[Oct 17] Worlds: More tickets need to be sold at gymnastics worlds
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
   More tickets need to be sold at gymnastics worlds, organizers The Aarhus Gymnastics World Championships sold out already 22,000 seats out of 34,000 on offer, and the president of organizing committee urged more sales need

[Oct 17] Worlds: China lead Japan in men's gymnastics
Taipei Times - Taiwan
    Defending team champions China and all-around titleholder Tomita Hiroyuki of Japan, led the way in men's qualifying as the US hit an all-time low at the world gymnastics championships in Aarhus, Denmark, on Sunday.
   Six-time champions China scored 370.450 points to hold their overnight lead ahead of Olympic champions Japan (367.750) with Russia (365.400) third after the men's team qualifiers which stretched over two days.
   Romania, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Belarus complete the line-up for today's eight-team finals.

[Oct 17] Worlds: Memmel eyes two golds at Aarhus gymnastics worlds
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
    World all-around champion Chellsie Memmel aims to win two titles out of team and all-around at the Aarhus gymnastics worlds, said the energetic and versatile gymnast here on Monday.
   "I hope I can win two titles here. The first of course is the team's and then I will try to win the all-around as what I did last year," said Memmel after the qualifiers. "My main focus was the team tonight. After Wednesday I can think about myself...."

The Most Beautiful Birthday present for Coach Nicolae Forminte:
Romanian gymnastics team will compete in finals at Worlds
  Bravo, Romania!
World Gymnastics Championships photos: Yahoo photo Gallery, click here
Slideshow: Gymnastics World Championships
World Gymnastics Championships WAG results, click here
Fans greetings for the Romanian gymnastics team
World Gymnastics Championships 2006 photos: Xinhua photos, click here

[Oct 16] Worlds: American women shine at gymnastics
  AARHUS, Denmark - The American women cruised to the lead Monday at a gymnastics qualifying event in Demark. Led by Liukin's 16.2 on bars, the highest score of the day, the Americans cruised to the lead in qualifying. They scored 243.325 points to lead second-place Australia by a whopping 11.625. About half the field, including a strong China team, had yet to take the floor, but the bar has been set — and set very high.
Slideshow: Gymnastics World Championships

[Oct 16] Worlds: World championships fails to draw big crowds
Guardian Unlimited - UK
 AARHUS, Denmark, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The world championships do not appear to have scored a great hit in Denmark with gymnasts performing to an arena less than half full during the first three days.

[Oct 16] Worlds: Italy Takes Lead in World Gymnastics
Town Hall - Washington,DC,USA
   With a Ferrari leading the way _ Vanessa Ferrari _ the up-and-coming Italian women's gymnastics team leaped to the early lead in qualifying at the world championships Monday. Surprise winners over Romania and Russia at the European championships in April, the Italians were expected to be one of the teams with an outside chance at challenging the United States, though they are missing two girls from their winning team of six months ago.
   Last year's runner-up, American Nastia Liukin, suffered a worse ankle injury before leaving for Denmark, and will be limited to only the uneven bars. "Things happen and that's just life," Liukin said. "In this sport especially. It's a tough sport, but you can't really live your life thinking, `What if something happens?' My theory is, just keep going and live life to the fullest."
   
[Oct 16] Good food, good times meet at Romanian fest
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne,IN,USA
   The room was filled with circular tables covered with white tablecloths, and a crowd of people filled the dance floor, throwing up their arms to the sound of the clarinetist and his band. But there was no bride. There was no groom. Just about 600 Romanians looking to have a good time. Sunday was the sixth annual Romanian Festival, where people of Romanian descent gathered to celebrate good food, good dancing, good music and good times.

[Oct 16] ABC News - USA / Worlds: Italy Takes Lead in World Gymnastics
    AARHUS, Denmark Oct 16, 2006 (AP)— With a Ferrari leading the way Vanessa Ferrari the up-and-coming Italian women's gymnastics team leaped to the early lead in qualifying at the world championships Monday.
    Surprise winners over Romania and Russia at the European championships in April, the Italians were expected to be one of the teams with an outside chance at challenging the United States, though they are missing two girls from their winning team of six months ago.

[Oct 16] Canadian men reach new heights at world gymnastics championships
SLAM! Sports - ON,Canada
   AARHUS, Denmark (CP) - With a surprising fifth-place showing in the qualifying round, the Canadian men's team will end up with its best result at a world gymnastics championships regardless of how it does in the finals

[Oct 16] Worlds: American gymnastics in rebuilding mode
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
   AARHUS, Denmark - They are young and inexperienced and honestly, very few expected the American men to do much at these world championships anyway. Even so, it was hard to imagine their free fall would be so thorough. The team that won the silver medal two years ago at the Olympics finished in 13th place after the last of preliminaries were over Sunday.

[Oct 16] Worlds: Germany earns a spot in gymnastics finals  
International Herald Tribune - France
   AARHUS, Denmark Led by a strong performance from Fabian Hambuechen, Germany qualified for men's team finals Sunday at world gymnastics championships.
  Four-time Olympic medalist Jordan Jovtchev of Bulgaria, who many thought might not be here because of shoulder injuries, competed and qualified for event finals in rings and floor. Romania's Marian Dragulescu, who won three medals in Athens, qualified for three event finals...

[Oct 16] Worlds: Canada spends 800 dollars for viewing replay
People's Daily Online - Beijing, China
   The Canadian team protested the judging and required the replays three times and had to pay 800 dollars after being rejected two times in the qualifiers of Aarhus gymnastics world championships. It's a costly move to ask for the replay.
   The team need to pay 300 dollars to see the replay system for the first time, and 500 dollars for the second time and 1,000 dollars for the third time. Canada's team filed three protests at the end of its qualifying round at the world championships, which led to a 15-minute huddle around the replay screen.

[Oct 16] Worlds: China lead the qualifiers at gymnastics worlds
    Chinese gymnasts dominated the men's qualifiers to book the first place ahead of Japan, while the Athens Olympic silver medallists U.S. fell out of the finals to settle with the eleventh at Aarhus gymnastic worlds in Denmark

[Oct 16] Worlds: Aarhus gymnastics worlds conducts random doping check
People's Daily Online - Beijing, China
   The International Gymnastics Federation already conducted unexpected and out-of-competition testing, during the men's and women's training sessions, but no doping case has been found until now at the Aarhus gymnastics world championships, the world gymnastics ruling body said on Sunday.

[Oct 15] Worlds:  Guardian Unlimited - UK: Memmel wins fitness battle
  AARHUS, Denmark, Oct 15 (Reuters) - All-round champion Chellsie Memmel appears to have won her fitness battle after an ankle sprain as she was named on Sunday to compete on all four apparatus for the U.S. at the gymnastics world championships.
    Fears about Memmel's health rose earlier in the week when she hurt her ankle in training in Aarhus and for a while, it seemed she would join injured team mate Nastia Liukin in playing only a limited part at the championships.     Thankfully for the Americans, who have already endured a miserable outing in this Danish port city after the men failed to reach the team final, Memmel has shaken off the injury and will be able to spearhead her nation's challenge as they aim to retain the women's title they won in Anaheim in 2003.

[Oct 15] Worlds: Reuters - USA/ American men slip to all-time low
   AARHUS, Denmark (Reuters) - America's men were licking their wounds at the world gymnastics championships after suffering their worst outing in the competition's history.

[Oct 15] Worlds: World Gymnastics Championships photos
World Gymnastics Championships photos: Rompres photos, click here
World Gymnastics Championships photos: Yahoo photo Gallery, click here
World Gymnastics Championships photos: Minkus images, (reg) click here
World Gymnastics Championships photos: USA team, click here
World Gymnastics Championships photos: Getty Images, click here
World Gymnastics Championships photos: Mediafax photos, click here

[Oct 15] Cassina's fall highlights flaws in new scoring system
   AARHUS, Denmark- Olympic champion Igor Cassina highlighted the dangers of the new gymnastics scoring system on Saturday when he suffered a spectacular spill from the high bar during men's qualifying at the world championships.
    The Italian, who struck gold on the apparatus two years ago in Athens, said gymnasts were being forced to take risks under the new system.
   Former Olympic champion Nellie Kim, who is now president of the International Gymnastics Federation's (FIG) women's technical committee, was involved in revamping the Code of Points (CoP) and told Reuters before the championships that the new scoring system would not make the sport more dangerous.

[Oct 15] Worlds: Canada close to qualifying at gymnastics worlds
CBC News - Canada
   Canada's men's gymnastics team is in fifth place and in good position to advance to the team finals at the International Gymnastics Federation world championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
    The teams from South Korea and the United States, which both performed well at the 2004 Athens Olympics, finished ninth and 10th and were already eliminated.

[Oct 14] Worlds: American gymnasts fall short at worlds
USA Today - USA
   AARHUS, Denmark — They recoiled and ricocheted their way from one end of the floor to the other. When the agony finally was over, the members of the U.S. men's gymnastics team put their arms around each other and came together in a close-knit huddle.
   China (with 370.45 points) and Japan (367.75) held the top two spots, as expected. Russia (365.4) was next. Well behind was the United States (358.1), standing in sixth place about halfway through qualifying, with at least four solid contenders still left to compete later Saturday and on Sunday.

[Oct 14] Worlds: Chinese lead Asian charge at world gymnastics champs
South Asian Women's Forum - New Delhi,India
    AARHUS, Denmark (AFP) - The Chinese scored 370.450 points to put themselves 2.700 ahead of Olympic champions Japan with Russia a further 5.050 behind after two of nine qualifying subdivisions for the team and individual events being held over two days.
  Belarus are fourth (359.175) ahead of Korea (358.475) and the United States (358.475) with Romania to begin their qualifying programme later Saturday with the top eight-placed teams qualifying for Tuesday's men's team final.
Related: Worlds Gymnastics Champhionships MAG results, click here
 
Next week:  World Gymnastics Championships at TVR2

[Oct 14] Worlds: U.S. resolve will be tested
   At last year's Worlds, where there was no team competition, the U.S. women dominated, earning nine of the 15 total medals available.The U.S. women hope to continue their dominance at the 2006 World Championships, which start today in Aarhus, Denmark. They have already run into some major hurdles.
  Q: When will you decide on the final lineup for the meet?
  Bela Karolyi: The final decision will be made 24 hours before the competition starts.
   Q: How did Liukin's injury occur?
   Bela Karolyi: Nastia was practicing tumbling skills on the trampoline. She actually rolled her ankle on the landing of the skill.
   Q: Why did you decide to take Liukin, despite her injury?
   Bela Karolyi: We selected her to the team because we expect her to help on at least bars. She's definitely in medal contention on that event, and her score can help the team by at least a whole point. That's a big contribution to the team results.
   Q: What effect do you think her injury could have on U.S. chances?
   Bela Karolyi: We have a very strong team, and everybody is very well-prepared. I'm positive the girls who compete will step up and make their performance even better, knowing we're missing one of our strongest athletes. In 2003, I think in a way all the injuries made the team stronger. You feel bad at the moment they happen, but the team pulled together.

[Oct 14] Worlds: American Gymnasts Fall Flat at Worlds
   Halfway through his routine, America's best gymnast on the still rings was in such bad shape, his coach had to run onto the podium to catch him in case he fell. And indeed, Kevin Tan finished the set on his backside.
   It got even worse from there for the U.S. men, who put in an error-filled effort in qualifying at the world gymnastics championships Saturday that left the rebuilding team in severe jeopardy of not making team finals.

[Oct 14] More than just cheers and pompoms
  Some Campbell County Middle School families aren't cheering over mandatory cheerleader training for students who want to compete in regional contests.A Columbus Children's Research Institute study published in the Jan. 3 edition of the journal Pediatrics found that the number of cheerleader injuries for children 5 to 18 more than doubled between 1990 and 2002.
   Girls accounted for most of the injuries, including the catastrophic ones. It's no coincidence that girls are also the ones usually thrown in the air. More than 3.5 million U.S. kids are believed to participate in the sport.

[Oct 14] Worlds: Chinese women gymnasts ready to bid for team medal
    With an eye on the 2008 Olympic Game to be held on home soil, Chinese women gymnasts are eager to make the podium at the Aarhus world championships following a series of disappointing results over the past several year.
   "The U.S. are very strong as a team, they have top gymnasts on all the apparatus, but we have a chance. We are very good on beam, uneven bars and even floor exercise this time, but the vault is not as good as U.S. as a whole," said Zhang.

FILM REVIEW / Stick it (PG) *** : Screen gymnastics that flies high
  Stick It benefits from an appealing central performance from Missy Peregrym as the leotarded teen rebel with a cause, plus a colourful turn from Jeff Bridges.
    The lively pacing, slick editing and colourful visuals will be like honey to the target audience - teen girls - but the muddled message of female empowerment might be more difficult to swallow.

Related:
INTERVIEW: Missy Peregrym Gets Her Gymnastics On in Stick It
Cinema: Stick It /Reviewed by Scott Tobias
Cameraman sticks it to convention in gym pic
Stick It TV Spot: Rock It ; click to view Stick It TV Spot
Stick it Movie Trailer
[May 10] Stick It - on the top of the US Box office
Box Office Mojo: Close-Up: 'Stick It's Jessica Bendinger

[Oct 14] Celebrities Help Launch 'Special Olympics Wall of Art'
Earthtimes.org - USA
   Today, Special Olympics, one of the world's leading movements for people with intellectual disabilities, named several Hollywood heavy hitters Official Spokespeople for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
   Actors Colin Farrell and Eva Mendes along with Actor and Producer BruceWillis are the newest crusaders dedicated to transforming communities byinspiring people throughout the world to open their minds to accepting andincluding people with intellectual disabilities.

[Oct 14] Pay for replay: Jury still out on new gymnastics review system
International Herald Tribune - France
   AARHUS, Denmark Sparked by a judging debacle at the Athens Olympics and helped by some of the best technology in sports, the International Gymnastics Federation is using a new pay-as-you-go replay system at world championships that can break down every routine, frame by frame.

[Oct 13] Gymnast Alexei Nemov into show "Legend of sport" in Krasnoyarsk
   A unique gymnastic show by Alexei Nemov "Legend of sport" will take place in Krasnoyarsk Ivan Yarygin's Sport Palace on November, 21 and 22. The best Russian and foreign sportsmen, winners of world competitions will participate in the show in four sport kinds: calisthenics, artistic gymnastics, trampoline tumbling and aerobics. That was announced by four-fold Olympic champion on artistic gymnastics, the project author Alexei Nemov at the press conference on October, 13.
   Krasnoyarsk is a part of "Legend of sport" tour around Russian cities, such as Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, Samara, Kazan, Yekaterinburg and Nizhniy Novgorod. Local junior sportsmen will participate in the show, and famous Olympians will visit sport schools, conduct master classes and present equipment for artistic gymnastics to children.

[Oct 13] Three Twisters selected to gymnastics national teams
Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu,HI,USA
    Three members of the Hawaiian Island Twisters Gymnastics Team have been selected to the TOPs National Team. They are Kiana Paltin, 9, Cierra Lauro, 10, and Jasmine Pade-ken-Pasigan, 11.
   Photo right: Famed gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi poses with Jasmine Padeken-Pasigan, Cierra Lauro and Kiana Paltin. The three Hawaiian Island Twisters gymnasts have been selected to the TOPs National Team.
    TOPs, or Talent Opportunity Program, helps to identify the country's top 9-, 10- and 11-year-old female gymnasts. The testing was Sept. 21 and 22, at the USA Gymnastics' Women's National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.

[Oct 13] Worlds: Sooner Postcards from Denmark
   ...Today is day seven in Aarhus, Denmark for the USA delegation at the 2006 Gymnastics World Championships. Jonathan Horton and I have enjoyed the sights and sounds of Danish life for a week now and we are getting used to the daily rhythm of the early morning training sessions, meals with our teammates and the final preparations for the competition.
   As the head coach for the USA Men’s Team, it has been my job to oversee the training of the athletes, coordinate the efforts of the coaching staff and organize our schedule of workouts prior to the preliminary round of competition on October 14th.

[Oct 13] Worlds: Liukin getting better, but others added to injury list
International Herald Tribune - France
  AARHUS, Denmark Another day, another perfect landing for Nastia Liukin. Except the one she pulled off Thursday was anything but routine. America's national champion tried and stuck her first landing from the uneven bars since she severely sprained her ankle last week.
   It was a successful step forward in Liukin's training for the only event she'll likely be able to compete in at World Gymnastics Championships. "It felt really good now that I know I can do it," said Liukin, who was smiling ear to ear after her feet hit the mat. "It will still hurt, but I can deal with the pain, and it's getting better every day."
    While Liukin's success was a positive sign for the U.S. team, there were setbacks elsewhere. Defending world all-around champion Chellsie Memmel jammed her ankle in practice earlier in the week and has had to take it easy in training.

[Oct 13] Worlds: Shewfelt leads Cdns. at worlds
SLAM! Sports - ON,Canada
AARHUS, Denmark (CP) - Calgary's Kyle Shewfelt will be among the top contenders in the floor and vault events at the world gymnastics championships but the Olympic gold medallist says his main focus will be the team competition.
   Other members of the Canadian men's team are Nathan Gafuik, Adam Wong, and Grant Golding, all of Calgary, Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., David Kikuchi of Halifax and Brandon O'Neill of Edmonton.

[Oct 13] Worlds: Williams happy to take pain for team
The Sunday Times - UK
   AISLING WILLIAMS intends eventually to make a career in genetics, but for the moment the 16-year-old is more interested in team dynamics and precious metals. Britain, she says, has the unity and talent to launch a surprise or two at the 39th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
   “Things are a bit different this time,” Williams, who is the youngest member of the squad and competing at this level for the first time, said. “It’s definitely more open than usual. Nobody is quite sure where the other countries are at because there have been rumours of a lot of changes and injuries, but we’re confident we’ll put in performances we can be proud of.”

[Oct 13] Gymnast close to greatness as competition begins in Denmark
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
   This year a flawed landing on a trampoline in practice left Liukin with an ankle injury that will severely curtail her participation in the world meet that begins Saturday in Aarhus, Denmark. Liukin, 16, of Plano, Texas, is not expected to compete in the all-around, having limited her training to one event, the uneven bars, after she rolled her right ankle Oct. 1.
   "My injury is getting better every day," Liukin said in a teleconference before the team left for Denmark. "I'm hoping to be in at least the team finals." Yet USA Gymnastics officials would likely not use Liukin if there were any risk of aggravating the injury. The world meet may be this year's big event, but it's of little consequence in the big picture, focused on the 2008 Olympics.

[Oct 12] Legends cars prove to be popular option
The Evening Sun - Hanover,PA,USA
   Years ago during York Sports Night, Olympic gold medal gymnast Bart Conner was talking with reporters when the topic turned to racing. It turned out at the time that Conner was racing a legends car, a fact which became all too apparent when his wife approached. Nadia Comaneci, author of the first perfect 10.0 score in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, heard just enough to say, "Bart, don't tell me you're talking about racing again?!" And she walked...

[Oct 12] Worlds: Gymnast prepares to take on the world
Mississauga News - Ontario, Canada
    (Mississauga) - Gymnastics Mississauga's Alyssa Brown is making last-minute preparations for the World Gymnastics Championships Oct. 14-21 in Aarhus, Denmark. Brown is joining three other Toronto-area gymnasts to form the core of the Canadian women's team. The group also includes Toronto's Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, North York's Brittnee Habbib, and Unionville's Marci Bernholtz.
   A major focus for the Canadian women will be to place in the top eight in the team competition and qualify for the medal round, a result that would put them among gymnastic world powers like China, Romania and Russia.

[Oct 12] USA Today - USA : Parallel Olympic dream alive
  WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — Most mornings, Vladimir and Alexander Artemev head to 5280 Gymnastics, to leave sweat on the mats, to work on the rings and bars, to refine the routines. They are coach and student. They are father and son. Eastern Europeans by birth, they are living an American dream. They are pursuing an Olympic dream. Together.
   In August, Artemev made the gymnastics world take notice, winning the U.S. all-around title in his first meet back from a severe shoulder dislocation. He will lead the U.S. men's team at the world championships, which start Saturday in Aarhus, Denmark.

[Oct 12] 2006 GYMNASTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
   Notable: A new scoring system makes it debut as more than 1,400 athletes from 78 countries vie for 24 spots at next year's world championships in Germany. There, the top 12 will qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
   Women's breakdown: U.S. star Nastia Liukin recently suffered an ankle injury that could slow her down, but the team is loaded, with 2005 world champions Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Sacramone and Jana Bieger also formidable talents. Challenges should come from China, Romania and Russia.

[Oct 12] Two teams found guilty of hazing
Ithaca College The Ithacan - NY, USA
   The Ithaca College men’s wrestling and men’s basketball varsity teams have been put on probation for hazing. Some members of those teams and of the women’s gymnastics and women’s basketball teams have been referred for possible violations of campus and athletics conduct codes.
   The team sanctions and individual referrals are the result of investigations by the college in response to two sets of photographs posted on a public Web site depicting members of the four teams engaging in possible hazing activities, said Brian McAree, vice president of Student Affairs and Campus Life.
    An investigation into the men’s wrestling and women’s gymnastics teams determined that senior wrestlers hazed rookies at a party in fall 2004, McAree said. Gymnasts were involved in the hazing of the wrestlers but will not face team sanctions because they did not subject their own members to hazing.
Related: NCAAHazing.com
[Sep 28] Photos prompt investigation of varsity teams
[Sep 28] Ithaca College Initiation Illogicality

[Oct 12] 2006 Artistic World Gymnastics Championships on WCSN.com
   SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) announced today that the company will exclusively present live and on-demand coverage of the 2006 Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) Artistic World Championships from Aarhus, Denmark, Oct. 17 - Oct. 21. Gymnastics fans will be able to watch unprecedented coverage on WCSN.com with exclusive commentary provided by two-time Olympic champion Bart Conner.

[Oct 11] Gymnastics couple Kikuchi, Gilmore off to world championships
ChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada
   Talk about a honeymoon like no other. Fall River gymnastics couple David Kikuchi and Crystal Gilmore, who were married in July, have embarked on a two-week excursion to Aarhus, Denmark to compete for their country at the upcoming world artistic gymnastics championships.
   Both the 26-year-old Kikuchi, a seven-year veteran of the men’s national team, and the 23-year-old Gilmore, who this year made a remarkable return to women’s competition after a four-year hiatus from the sport, are expected to play key roles for their respective teams.

[Oct 11] Rincon Gymnastics Coach Facing 17 More Indictments
WTOC - Savannah,GA,USA
   A lot of parents have been following a frightening case out of Rincon, where a gymnastics coach has been charged charged on child pornography and allegations he sent explicit photos to a young girl.
   Tuesday, the United States Attorney's office unsealed the results of a federal grand jury from back in June with 17 more charges that we originally knew about, some of which are much more serious than we originally knew about. Some of McCabe's more serious charges have prison terms of up to 30 years apiece and he's also facing more than 250-thousand dollars in fines, if convicted.
[Oct12] Additional charges filed against Rincon gymnastics coach

[Oct 11] Worlds: U.S. and Japan aim for glory under new system
Guardian Unlimited - UK , Gulf Times - Doha,Qatar
   LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - American women will be out to gain a psychological edge over their rivals when the gymnastics world championships begin in Aarhus, Denmark, this weekend. With the 2008 Beijing Olympics less than two years away, the leading nations will be determined to prove their worth under a new scoring system, which will be used at a major global event for the first time. With many nations still in the process of rebuilding their teams, a Chellsie Memmel-led U.S. squad will be the overwhelming favourites to defend the women's team title they claimed in 2003.
   Nadia Comaneci -- the first gymnast to earn the now defunct perfect 10 score at an Olympics -- believes her native Romanian team could challenge the United States despite still trying to adjust to a new coaching regime under Nicolae Forminte.

[Oct 11] Worlds: Florida teen headed to Denmark for Worlds Chships
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
   MIAMI - Jana Bieger had an affinity for gymnastics before she mastered a basic somersault, which is hardly surprising, considering her mother/coach, Andrea, was a three-time Olympic gymnast for West Germany from 1972-80.
   Bieger was born in Germany, but moved to South Florida at age 7. She is home-schooled and spends most of her day training at the Boca Twisters club in Boca Raton. Though her signature moves are far more difficult than anything her mother was doing in the Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci era, Bieger said she sees resemblances to her mother when she watches old tapes.
   Bieger was one of seven women named Thursday to the U.S. team for the 2006 world championships, which begin this week in Aarhus, Denmark.

[Oct 11] Worlds: China out for team success and experience
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
   BEIJING: With one eye firmly on the Beijing Olympics in less than two years’ time, China is concentrating on team success as it showcases several youngsters at the World Gymnastics Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, this week.
   With Chen Yibing, Dong Zhendong and Zou Kai in the men’s team and four women – Pang Panpan, Zhou Zhuoru, He Ning and Huang Lu – all making their World Championship debuts, half the Chinese team have no previous experience of competition at this level.
   “It’s like a promotion for the young gymnasts,” manager Zhang Peiwen said before the team departed for Europe. “It takes time but it is necessary for them to become well known to the international judges. We are, of course, preparing for the 2008 Olympics.”

[Oct 11] Child-sex case against gym owner expands
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester,NY,USA
   A new federal indictment expands the time that the owner of an East Rochester gymnastics center allegedly used his computer to entice a female student into having sex with him. Marian Asenov Penev, owner of Penev's Gymnastics, pleaded not guilty today in U.S. District Court to a charge alleging that he enticed the girl from early February to Dec. 26, 2005.
    If convicted, Penev, 40, faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 30 years, said U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick.

[Oct 11] Worlds:  Oksana Chusovitina, oldest woman to compete
BBC Sport - UK
   Four-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina will compete for Germany at the World championships after being granted citizenship last week. Chusovitina had previously represented Uzbekistan but has lived and trained in Cologne since 2002.
   She moved to Germany in 2002 when her son was diagnosed with leukaemia. He successfully underwent treatment there. The 31-year-old will be the oldest woman to compete at the championships which begin in Denmark on Friday.

[Oct 10] Worlds: Specialists predictions : NADIA COMANECI
    "Something tells me that despite its lack of experience, Romania will be again the strongest opponent of the United States in their fierce fight for the world gold," Comaneci told reporters this week.
    "I'm fully confident that this team can shine in Aarhus as successive Romanian teams did on so many previous occasions. Even second place after the United States, who are very strong now, would mean a great win for Romania," said Comaneci, who won five Olympic gold medals at the 1976 and 1980 Games.

[Oct 10] Worlds/ Quote of the Day
   "It is not a secret that I play for my career at these worlds," said Nicolae Forminte;"My strategy is to cooperate with my girls not to impose endless efforts during hard training at any price," he said.

[Oct 10] Worlds: Comaneci says inexperience no bar to Romania
BUCHAREST, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Lack of experience will be no handicap for Romania's female gymnasts at the world championships, former Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci says. Romania's depth of talent meant the team would be capable of fighting favourites the United States for the team gold in Aarhus, Denmark, Comaneci said.

[Oct 10] Gymnastics to Hold Annual Banquet on Oct. 20
LSUSports.net - Baton Rouge,LA,USA
   BATON ROUGE -- Tickets for the LSU gymnastics team's annual awards banquet on Friday, Oct. 20, are now on sale and available to the public. Tickets can be purchase by contacting the LSU gymnastics office at (225) 578-5050. The cost is $15 for adults and $5 for children.
   The awards banquet will celebrate the accomplishments for the 2006 Tiger squad that finished the year ranked eighth in the nation and had five of its athletes earn All-America honors.
   
[Oct 10] Worlds:  Gymnastics World Championships
Minneapolis Star Tribune - Minneapolis,MN,USA
   The U.S. teams: The men's team includes former Gophers Clay Strother and Guillermo Alvarez, plus 2006 U.S. all-around champ Alexander Artemev, Kevin Tan, Jonathan Horton and David Sender.
   The women's team includes 2006 U.S. all-around champ Nastia Liukin and 2005 world all-around champ Chellsie Memmel, plus Alicia Sacramone, Jana Bieger, Natasha Kelley, Jacqueline Johnson and Ashley Priess.

[Oct 10] Worlds: Russians hope to emerge from the abyss
Guardian Unlimited - UK
   LONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - For decades they were considered the most dominant force in gymnastics. Now many Russians believe that only divine intervention will lead their gymnasts to gold-medal glory.
   "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has encouraged coaches to come back and train our sportsmen and this will eventually bring results."

[Oct 9] Jacksonville lands pre-Olympic gymnastics competition
Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville,FL,USA
   “The road to Beijing begins in Jacksonville,” said Ron Galimore, vice president of events for USA Gymnastics as the announcement was made Friday that the 2007 Tyson American Cup will be held March 3 at the Arena. NBC Sports plans a live, two-hour broadcast.
   The all-around invitational competition will showcase the top gymnasts in the world who are preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Former gold medalists from the event include Kurt Thomas, Bart Connor, Mary Lou Retton, Dominique Dawes, Nadia Comaneci and Shannon Miller, who won seven Olympic medals (two gold) and now lives in Gainesville. “The Tyson American Cup is the most prestigious international gymnastics.

[Oct 9] Worlds: Nemov laments demise of perfect 10
Guardian Unlimited - UK
   When the 2006 gymnastics world championships open in Aarhus, Denmark, on Friday, a new accumulative points scoring system -- awarded for content and execution -- will make its debut at a major global competition.
  Former Olympic champion Nellie Kim, who is now president of the International Gymnastics Federation's (FIG) women's technical committee, was involved in devising the new Code of Points (CoP) and believes it was long overdue.
  Just as figure skating adopted an accumulative points format after dumping its age-old 6.0 system following the 2002 Salt Lake City Games judging scandal, gymnasts are now able to set new benchmarks every time they compete.
  "I don't like the fact that a 10 score is no longer possible as that was the system under which I competed," said Nemov, who compiled an impressive tally of 12 Olympic medals before bowing out in 2004. "It was what everyone was used to. I personally would not have liked to compete under the new system."

  Fans greetings for the Romanian gymnastics team
I wish you all the best and I know you can fight for the Gold!
You have a fan in Puerto Rico that wishes you to win many Gold medals! Good Luck!!
Lewis Viera, Puerto Rico


[Oct 8] Worlds: Clock always ticking in fickle world of gymnastics
MSNBC - USA / A few years ago, in the span of about six months, Nastia Liukin grew half a foot. A few days ago, in the span of about six seconds, Liukin sprained her right ankle and saw her hopes of winning the 2006 world championships disappear.
   The United States' biggest challenges are expected to come from the usual suspects - China, Russia and defending Olympic champions Romania.
    "I'm more concerned about my girls than about the fact that one person on the other side of the world is doing a certain trick,'' Karolyi said. "I think we're in a very good place.''

[Oct 7] YMCA Coach Faces Assault Charges
WPBN-TV - Traverse City,MI,USA
   An investigation is launched into allegations that a Northern Michigan YMCA gymnastics coach inappropriately touched one of his students. 5 charges have been filed against Thad Cypher. Cyper's lawyer says he coached for the YMCA for several years. He was suspended from his duties at the Traverse City YMCA in September after the allegations surfaced.

[Oct 7] Fans greetings for the Romanian gymnastics team
Dear Romanian Gymnastics Team,
I just want to say "Noroc" to you. I know you will do fine. You are my favorite team. Good luck and have fun, too !!!.
Javier Corona. Guadalajara, Mexico.

Wishing the 2006 Team a GOLDEN World Championships! Noroc!
>From your #1 Fan!
Tom Crews

These are few of the latest messages received.

[Oct 4] Specialist's predictions: Romanian gymnastics at Worlds Chships
   Top Romanian sport journalists have predicted exclusively for
www.romanian-gymnastics.com the possible result of Romanian WAG team (only the women team) at Worlds Championships 2006...

[Oct 3] Worlds Chships : Changes keeps Horton on bars
   NORMAN, OKLA. - Jonathan Horton leaves in a couple of days with his USA Gymnastics teammates for the world championships in Aarhus, Denmark, so why, pray tell, was he running through his parallel bars routine for the first time Monday at the University of Oklahoma training center? As you might expect, it goes back to another rules change by the inscrutable bureaucrats who run the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
  Officials issued a recent missive devaluing one of Horton's skills on parallel bars, so he had to reconstruct a portion of the routine.

[Oct 3] It's Not In Your Head. Pain Syndrome Is Real
KOLD-TV - Tucson,AZ,USA
   Imagine doing something as innocent as stubbing your toe or twisting your ankle, and developing an unbearably painful and chronic condition. It's Complex Regional Pain Sydrome, or CRPS, and it's happening to as many as a million or more Americans, even children. The experts say many doctors, but not all, are baffled. Eleven-year-old Rachel Heisler loves to watch her brother race, especially now that he has a ribbon on his car honoring her race against pain. Rachel's mother Marilyn Heisler says, "She would sit in the stands and cry it hurt so bad, but she had to go see him race."

[Oct 3] Barry DeVorzon Talks About His Hit Songs & Movie Scores
SongwriterUniverse - Los Angeles,CA,USA
   Veteran songwriter & composer Barry DeVorzon has had a remarkable career spanning nearly 50 years in the music industry. Although he’s probably best known for writing the classic, instrumental hits “Nadia’s Theme” and “Theme From S.W.A.T,” he’s had many other notable achievements.
   In 1973, a TV producer from The Young and the Restless called and wanted the theme to be the show’s opening theme. The theme became popular and a number of people recorded it. Then three years later at the 1976 Summer Olympics, a little gymnast named Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10 on the double horizontal bars which had never been done before. One of the producers at ABC happened to pull out the Bless The Beasts And The Children soundtrack album, and put ‘Cotton’s Dream” behind the slow motion film clip of Nadia. The song was then re-named ‘Nadia’s Theme’ and it became the biggest hit of my career.”

[Oct 2] Romanian gymnastics team at Worlds Championships
Romanian gymnastics team to compete at Worlds Championships: Elena Chiric, Dana Druncea, Sandra Izbasa, Floarea Leonida, Steliana Nistor and Loredana Sucar (WAG).

  The team will leave Deva Friday morning and next day will take the plane to...


[Oct 3] IWC to Establish the Laureus Foundation in Switzerland
   Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen announced that they would be establishing the Laureus Foundation in Switzerland to honour the very best sportsmen and women from all over the world through the Laureus World Sports Awards and simultaneously support underprivileged young people in every corner of the globe with the help of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
  Prominent sports personalities who are ambassadors of Laureus Foundation include: Severiano Ballesteros, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Kapil Dev, Michael Johnson, Michael Jordan, John McEnroe, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Jack Nicklaus, Pelé, Vivian Richards, Daley Thompson and Yasuhiro Yamashita to name a few.    

[Oct 1] Guardian Unlimited - UK: What a babe
   Fifty years ago last week an American woman died of cancer in Texas. She was arguably the best sportswoman ever, anywhere in the world. This is the amazing life of Babe Didrikson, who could run, jump, throw, hit, swim - and sew - better than anyone
   All the others with a claim to having been the best are stars of a single sport, tennis having produced the most. Other contenders include the Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie, who won 10 world championships and three Olympic golds; Romania's Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to record a perfect score in Olympic competition; and Wilma Rudolph, the American who overcame polio to win both Olympic sprints in 1960.
     How would you rank the top 10 sportswomen of all time?

Vote for Nadia Comaneci (as the Greatest Romanian of all times), click here

[Sep 28] Gymnastics Championships: China set off for World Championships
CCTV - Beijing,China /   The Chinese National Gymnasts have left Beijing for the Gymnastics World Championships in Denmark. China consider the championships a great chance for the team to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The team needs all the experience it can get, since Olympic gold medalist Teng Haibin and world champions Feng Jing and Fan Ye all failed to make the national team. The twelve gymnasts competing at the World Championships will also have a chance to represent China at the upcoming Doha Asian Games. The team will train in France for a week, and then head to Denmark for the World Championships, which starts October 13th.

[Sep 27] Worlds: Olympic champion dropped from China's squad
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
    Athens Olympic champion Teng Haibing, world champions Feng Jing and Fan Ye were dropped from China's squad for Aarhus Gymnastics World Championship slated for next month in Denmark, as China released the roster on Monday. Teng Haibing, the Athens pommel horse gold winner, was excluded from the 14-member squad, and Feng Jing, the 2001 World Championship all-around gold medalist, also missed the opportunity to show up in the Aarhus gymnastics worlds. Gymnastic veteran Li Xiaopeng had been ruled out of the tournament by injury in the previous name-list, having to settle with his 13 Olympic and world titles, which is only one gold short of the record 14 titles held by Li Ning, the most prolific gymnast in China.
    Women's team: Zhang Nan, Cheng Fei, Pang Panpan, Li Ya, Huang Lu, Zhou Zhuoru, He Ning .
    
[Sep 26] Former gymnasts present show for Francophone Summit
Bucharest Daily News - Bucharest,Romania
   The former members of the Romanian gymnastics and aerobics teams, reunited under the name of the Golden Romanian Team, will perform on Wednesday at the Palace Hall a show dedicated to the Francophone Summit. Among the members of the team are Marius Urzica who is also the initiator of the project, Oana Ban, Sabina Cojocar, Alexandra Eremia, Andreea Isarescu, Monica Rosu, Daniela Sofronie, Silvia Stroescu, Corina Ungureanu and Bogdan Orzata. All of them have obtained medals in European and international gymnastics competitions.
    Marius Urzica said on Monday that he wishes for the show, entitled "A Perfect 10," be performed abroad. "You will see a unique show in which we combine gymnastics and dance. We hope to take this show abroad because we have something to illustrate," he said, adding that former gymnast Nadia Comaneci said she would help them reach the U.S.
Related: Golden Team photos
Related: Goldean Team Show photos

[Sep 25] New Romania team ready for world championships debut
Reuters.uk - UK
   BUCHAREST- Sixteen-year-old Sandra Izbasa, European champion in the floor exercise, will lead a new Romania team at next month's gymnastics world championships in Denmark, team coach Nicolae Forminte said on Monday.    The six-member team does not include a single athlete from the last Olympic Games in Athens, where Romania captured gold in the team event. At the weekend, Izbasa won the national titles on floor, balance beam and vault, while Steliana Nistor, 17, won the asymmetric bars.
    "Romania will fight for the team title at the worlds but it will be not a disaster if we do not win," Forminte told Reuters. "We want to accumulate experience." Dana Druncea, Elena Chiric, Loredana Sucar, all 16, and Floarea Leonida, 19, complete the squad for the world championships in Aarhus, from Oct. 13 to 21.

 More September News..

Romanian Gymnastics News Archive.