FIG Artistic Gymnastics Challenge Cup
Ghent (BEL), September 3 – 4, 2011
LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, August 31, 2011: In 2001, the City of Ghent hosted the 35th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. This event is remembered as the first time the new vaulting table was used. Same city, same venue, ten years later!
From September 3 – 4, the illustrious Vlaanderen Topsporthal in Ghent will host the FIG Challenge Cup in Artistic Gymnastics. The event was originally created in 2004 and has long since become a classic on the calendars of both the FIG and the Flemish League of the Royal Belgian Gymnastics Federation. Because of a long-standing partnership between VRT television and the organisers, the event continues to grow in popularity.
For the 2011 edition, the population of Ghent will be present at the Cup to support its two beloved gymnasts, Aagje Vanwalleghem and Donna-Donny Truyens, both of whom accessed the podium at recent FIG world cup events.
A talented athlete, Vanwalleghem was the first Belgian Artistic gymnast to win a World Cup medal. Born in Brazil, she moved to Belgium at the age of two months and now studies and trains at the Topsportcentrum in Ghent. Donna-Donny surprised the world by finishing seventh at the 2010 World Pommel Horse Finals in Rotterdam (NED).
The line-up looks promising and includes a good number of champions, notably Marco Baldauf (AUT), Diego Hypolito, Jade Barbosaet, Diana dos Santos (BRA), Zou Kai and Wu Liufang (CHN), Tomi Tuuha (FIN), Vlasos Maras (GRE), Kirsztian Berki (HUN), Dutch trio van Gelder, Wammes, Zonderland, Diana Anton Golotsukov (RUS), Regulo Carmona (VEN). And the champion of all champions - Fabian Hambuechen (GER)!
Discover these athletes from among thirty-seven participating countries and check nominative registrations here!
Belgium will host the 44th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2013 in Antwerp.
About 2011 FIG Challenge Cup Series in Artistic Gymnastics
Starting in 2011, the former FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cups of the category B will run under the label “FIG Challenge Cup” and represent an open series. This year, all FIG Challenge Cups stage Individual Apparatus Finals.
Prize money of 25,000 CHF will be attributed at each event.
In 2011, FIG Challenge Cups with a maximum of two participating gymnasts per country and apparatus will take place on March 11 – 13 in Cottbus (GER), March 30 – April 1 in Doha (QAT), September 3 – 4 in Ghent (BEL), September 23 – 25 in Maribor (SLO), November 4 – 6 in Osijek (CRO) and November 18 – 19 in Ostrava (CZE).
Separate World Ranking lists will be established for C III, six for Men and four for Women. The competitions feature Qualifications and Finals, with the best eight gymnasts per apparatus from Qualifications proceeding to the final rounds. An additional one wild card per Men’s and Women’s competition is allowed in the event that the host federation fails to qualify for the Finals.
