German Gymnasts Visit Walvis Bay

Staff Reporter

28 July 2011

A delegation of 22 German gymnasts arrived in Namibia on Monday to train at the Walvis Bay Gymnastics Club.

According to the Namibia Gymnastics Federation, the 19 gymnasts are here to train artistic gymnastics at the Jan Wilkens Sport Complex and share their skills with their counterparts from Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

The group is also on a mission to acquaint themselves with the country.

Mark Graff, the man who facilitated the visit, decided to bring this group of gymnasts to Namibia after having visited and worked in Walvis Bay during the African Championships and Youth Olympic Qualifying Championships at the beginning of last year.

“Namibia has a lot of talented gymnasts and is also a beautiful country which motivated me to plan this amazing outing,” said Graff.

“In 2012 we are looking forward to receiving a big group of the Walvis Bay gymnasts in Germany, where we would like to share our facilities and hospitality with them.”

They will also visit the Walvis Bay Private High School, an experience which is expected to be interesting for pupils and teachers alike. The team will also enjoy spectacular boat outings with Levo Tours and will be part of a sightseeing tour of Swakopmund, a town which is full of German history.

Their stay in Walvis Bay has been partially sponsored by the Lagoon Chalets, a welcome gesture for the gymnastics fraternity.

“Many parents and gymnastics lovers got together and ensured that our visitors are welcomed with hearty Namibian food and snacks, and biltong was certainly not excluded,” said Monika Lotter, one of the initiative’s organisers.

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