Friday 30 October 2015
Hundreds of Glasgow school pupils will follow in the footsteps of the world’s greatest gymnasts as they perform in the arena hosting the World Gymnastics Championships today (Fri Oct 30th).
Six hundred young people from the city’s primary, secondary and Additional Support for Learning schools will emulate their favourite gymnasts as they get the chance to show off their own skills at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro.
The pupils have spent months training hard for their grand performances at Glasgow Schools Gymfest which will be witnessed by around 1500 proud parents and carers. This year the event is extra special as the pupils will perform their artistic gymnastics floor routines in the Hydro arena –scene of the World Gymnastics Championships.
Thousands of gymnastics fans from around the globe are packing out the SSE Hydro day-after-day to watch almost 600 athletes from 87 countries compete, not only for championship medals, but also to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Both the GB Men’s and Women’s teams have made history at the world championships this week by winning silver and bronze medals.
Medal winners, Becky Downie and Kristian Thomas, will attend Gymfest to show off their gongs and meet the pupils.
Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “This Gymfest event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for hundreds of Glasgow school pupils. It is part of the council’s work to inspire the city’s youngsters to take up sport and live healthy, active lives. And what could be more inspirational than having the chance to perform in the same arena as the best gymnasts in the world and meet GB medal winners.
“The World Gymnastics Championships are showcasing Glasgow around the globe and it is fantastic that the city’s school pupils can be an integral part of this spectacular event.”
Around 500 children from Glasgow gymnastics clubs attended the Men’s Qualifiers at the Hydro on Monday and championship sponsors SSE will also bring two young gymnastics stars who are part of their Next Gen programme to Gymfest today to meet the pupils.
Jamie Lewis (who competes for England) and Rhys McClenaghan (who competes for Northern Ireland) will perform their routines for the pupils.
Glasgow City Council has also produced an Interdisciplinary Learning Resource for primary and secondary schools which is available here.