The Moet Chandon building at Galway Racecourse is one of the most beautiful additions to Galway Racecourse over the last couple of years.
This week, it should have been getting ready for the busiest week of the year, with thousands of bottle of bubbly lined up for consumption in the glam venue at Ballybrit.
However, it is not ordinary horses who are jumping at Ballybrit but pommel horses being jumped at the trendy bar, because it has become the temporary new home of Renmore Gymnastics Club who are using the spacious and modern facility as their new training centre.
The building has been transformed into an ultra chic gymnasium with mirrored walls, open floor space and lashings of natural light.
RGC (Renmore Gymnastics Club ) said they are very grateful to Galway Races for faciliating the move, as it enabled them to open its doors last week for the first time since March.
“The club would like to sincerely thank Galway Racecourse for working in partnership with them to help enable this to happen,” said Richard Collins of RGC.
“Social distancing measures meant that the size of our permanent gymnastics home in Ballybrit was insufficient to facilitate the return of all our gymnasts,” he said.
“Extra floor space has been made available to the club in the racecourse complex. The club training programmes are now being run between the two facilities while adhering to all the public health guidelines.
“The coaching and administrative staff have been very busy trying to create a new schedule to make space available to as many gymnasts as possible at suitable times.
“The club would like to thank the staff for their amazing efforts to make this happen.
“With the co-operation of staff, gymnasts, families and Galway Racecourse the club will manage its way through this period and continue to thrive in the future helping all our gymnasts to blossom,” he said.