In October, the IG Tour will return to Rotterdam, Netherlands (and the same Ahoy Arena), where it began its incredible run in 1987, for the 24th World Gymnastics Championships. Since that memorable trip, the tour has been all over the globe and created a family atmosphere among its participants. Many tour members sign up numerous times, and one couple that met on the tour eventually got married.
After 1987, the tour has also been to the following cities for world championships: Stuttgart, Germany (’89); Paris, France (’92); Birmingham, England (’93); Brisbane, Australia (’94); Dortmund, Germany (’94); Sabae, Japan (’95); San Juan, Puerto Rico (’96); Lausanne, Switzerland (’97); Tianjin, China (’99); Ghent, Belgium (’01); Debrecen, Hungary (’02); Melbourne, Australia (’05); Aarhus, Denmark (’06); Stuttgart, Germany (’07); and London, England (’09).
The tour also has attended a few European championships: St. Petersburg, Russia (’98); Paris, France (’00); Bremen, Germany (’00); and Patras, Greece (’02).
All of the IG Tours have been organized by Kermit and Jean Davis, who also run tours for other sports through International Sports Exchange. And while the majority of tour members hail from the U.S., the tour has attracted gymnastics fans from various countries, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Israel, England, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Singapore and New Zealand. Each tour is supplemented by sightseeing excursions when the competition schedule allows. But most fans are interested in seeing the gymnastics, and the Davises have become experts at securing some of the best seats in the arena.
The choice of hotels is always perfect, as well. In Sabae, the hotel sat above its own hot springs, which were available free to all guests. For Birmingham, the group stayed in a beautiful cottage-like inn in Coventry. For the 2006 Aarhus worlds, the IG tour hotel was in the scenic vacation town of Silkeborg.
When time permits, side trips to nearby cities are included. The 1989 Stuttgart trip finished with a journey to Munich and Salzburg, Austria. The tour to the 1993 Birmingham worlds finished with a couple of days in London. In 1994, the week in Brisbane was sandwiched between stops in Cairns, for snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, and a few days in Sydney. The 1994 Dortmund worlds actually began with a couple of days in Amsterdam, and the 1999 Tianjin experience was topped off with a wonderful tour of Beijing, including visits to the Great Wall of China. Moscow and Athens were add-ons to the Europeans tours to St. Petersburg and Patras, respectively. After the Aarhus worlds, the tour went to Copenhagen.
"When I think of our relationship with IG magazine, I think of that famous line from the movie "Casablanca": This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. But I didn't expect it to last 23 years [laughs]."
For more information on the 2010 IG Tour to Rotterdam, contact International Sports Exchange.
Tel: (317) 839-9257
Fax: (317) 839-0258
After attending the 2006 Aarhus Worlds, IG tour members went to Copenhagen, where they posed in front the Little Mermaid. Kermit Davis is on the left (white hair), and Jean is in front of him (blue scarf).