South Africa’s best gymnasts in action across Gauteng

ABOUT 2800 gymnasts and officials are in action at the annual Gymnastics Games in Gauteng.

The South African Gymnastics Federation are hosting the Games which end tomorrow. The Games are the Federation’s largest national event, and national titles are awarded across six competitive gymnastics disciplines.

The Games are being staged at three venues – Wits University for rhythmic gymnastics, the Matsport Centre in Centurion for acrobatic and artistic gymnastics, and the Jonibach Centre in Pretoria for ropeskipping, trampoline and tumbling.

The official opening and welcome ceremony was conducted at the Matsport Centre.

Among those in attendance were Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, Gert Oosthuizen, and Sascoc president Gideon Sam.

In his welcome address, Oosthuizen mentioned the recent successes by South African gymnasts at the African Games in Congo, where gymnastics brought home a record of 15 medals for this code.

Also mentioned was rhythmic gymnast, Grace Legote, who at the Rhythmic World Championships in September in Germany, won the Africa continental card for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Legote has also just returned from Japan, where she placed 13th of 40 gymnasts in an international field at the Aeon Cup earlier this month.

Legote will be in action at Wits University today at 2pm and tomorrow at 3pm, as she attempts to retain her national title. Today’s trampoline competition sees world class gymnasts Bianca Zoonekynd and Offering Tlaka take part. The duo has been selected to compete at next month’s Trampoline World Championships in Denmark.

The SA Gym Games showcases an array of gymnastics, consisting of gymnasts of all ages across all levels, from all nine provinces of South Africa. It also doubles up as Region 5 qualifiers and Africa Championship qualifiers for certain gymnastics disciplines. – African News Agency (ANA)