SOME of the world's top gymnasts are set to descend on Lowestoft in the next fortnight.The Waveney Gymnastics Centre is set to be a training base for two international men's gymnastics teams from Canada and Great Britain ahead of the world championships in London next month.

SOME of the world's top gymnasts are set to descend on Lowestoft in the next fortnight.

The Waveney Gymnastics Centre is set to be a training base for two international men's gymnastics teams from Canada and Great Britain ahead of the world championships in London next month.

A team of 10 gymnasts, delegates and coaches from the Canadian men's gymnastics squad will arrive in town and be based in Lowestoft between September 26 and October 6. And the Great Britain men's team will follow as they arrive in town on October 6 for three days of training.

Included in the GB squad of 11 will be Louis Smith, who made Olympic history by being the first British gymnast to win an individual medal at the Olympic Games for 100 years in Beijing 2008, and Daniel Keatings, who starred at the 2008 Junior European Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, collecting four gold medals. Other star names to look out for will be Kristian Thomas, Daniel Purvis, Theo Seager and Ruslan Panteleymonov.

The squads will showcase their skills during open training sessions, allowing the community and schools the opportunity to see at first hand some of the best gymnasts in the world in action.

The Canadian squad will hold sessions on September 28, October 1, 2 and 3, with the British squad session being held on October 6.

A civic reception is also being planned for the Canadian team on October 5, and the club will hold a fundraising evening at its Southwell Road headquarters on October 7.

Manager of Waveney Gymnastics Centre Vikki Rogers said: 'To secure two teams is a fantastic endorsement of our potential.'

Gym club chairman John Pawsey added: 'To offer these two national squads use of our facilities for two weeks is fantastic. This is a real chance to put Waveney centre-stage and put us in the spotlight for future events.'

With interest already identified by the Egyptian and Romanian nations, the potential for others to use the gym club in the run-up to the Olympics is growing rapidly.

Claire Henwood, service manager sports and leisure development at Waveney District Council, said: 'We would like to congratulate the gym club on their wonderful achievement. It's a credit to their hard work and dedication that they have attracted both the Canadian and Great British national teams to town.'

Tickets for the fundraising evening on October 7 are �10. To book e-mail waveneygym@aol.com or call 01502 501419.