Big entry for world skating titles

Press, 7 September 1981, Page 20

Big entry for world skating titles

More than 100 contestants from 11 nations will compete in the world artistic roller skating championships to be held at Nelson’s Trafalgar Centre this week. The championships was a “world first’’ for Nelson. Venue for the historic event is (he Trafalgar Centre, one of, the few stadiums in New Zealand large enough to provide the floor space and the seating

required for the spectacular skating. Last week the floor, normally a jigsaw puzzle of multi-coloured lines for a variety of sports, was sanded clean, providing what should be an excellent surface for skating. The Australian team, pictured. was the first to arrive last week but found that nobody was to be permitted on the floor, in skates, until today. The pair of skates in front of them did not do one

full turn of. the wheels. The biggest team is from the United States (24), and New Zealand, with 16, is the second largest. Australia has 11, Italy 10, Canada 9, Japan four, Spain and Argentina three and France two. The events will conclude on Sunday when the free dance championships will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m„ concluding with a skating show and a closing ceremony at 2 p.m.