Inevitably, there were teething problems in adapting to new Technical Regulations and the FIG Statutes, but the sensitive and enthusiastic advice and guidance of the FIG Executive Committee representatives, in the persons of Hans-Jürgen Zacharias and John Atkinson, ensured speedy adjustment and a calm professionalism.

The European Championships organised by the Polish Federation of Sports Acrobatics on behalf of the European Sports Acrobatics Federation (EUROSAF) were directed by the new FIG Sports Acrobatics Commission. Through the experienced teamwork of the Polish Federation, the competition was run with high class precision and efficiency. The pace of the competition was perfect and the organisation hyper-efficient. The Polish team is to be congratulated and held in high esteem.

Of course disappointments were experienced during the competition by athletes but they and their coaches still provided many moments of absolute magic with choreographic originality and breathtaking acrobatic talent.

The complexity and difficulty of moves made by several pairs and groups were, on occasions, awesome.

I have been judging Sports Acrobatics at international events for 24 years but found myself at the European Championships experiencing the same thrills which first attracted me to the sport in its early history. The coaches and athletes do not allow stagnation; the enormous surprise is always just around the corner and ever present in the competition arena.

Judges rarely get compliments. That is the name of the game in competitive sport, but without their dedication to this masochistic activity, competitions cannot be held. The judges at the European Championships must be congratulated for their controlled adaptation to working under new regulations and trying to maintain essential impartiality under sometimes very pressured conditions.