11th Junior Asian Championships in Artistic and Trampoline Gymnastics
Chiba (JPN), March 13 – 16, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 12, 2010: The Asian Gymnastics Union is organising the 11th Junior Asian Championships in Trampoline and Artistic Gymnastics at the Makuhari Event Hall in Chiba (JPN). Eligible junior gymnasts from Asia will get a shot at qualifying for the 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore from March 13 – 16, 2010.

The parallel event for Rhythmic Gymnastics took place in Tashkent (UZB) on February 16 - 19, 2010 (see review).

YOG athlete eligibility

Artistic Gymnastics

A quota of 7, including one spot for host country Singapore, is allotted to Asian MAG juniors at the Youth Olympic Games. Girls compete for 5 plus 1 (host) spots.

The required age for Artistic gymnasts to be eligible to participate in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games is 16-17 years for boys (born in 1993 or 1994), and 15 years for girls (born in 1995). Gymnasts must qualify at their Junior Continental Championships and may not have previously participated at FIG senior competitions or multi-sport games. A maximum of one male and one female athlete is allowed per NOC.

All gymnasts must have reached the following minimum standards: Boys as well as girls must participate on all apparatus and reach an average minimum execution score of 7.5, thus a total execution score of at least 45 points for MAG and 30 points for WAG.

Trampoline Gymnastics

In Trampoline two spots for girls and boys each will be allocated to Asian gymnasts, whereby one spot is reserved for the host country in each case.

The required age for Trampoline gymnasts eligible for the Singapore Youth Olympic Games is 16-17 years (born in 1993 or 1994) for both boys and girls and all gymnasts must have reached the following minimum standards: Boys must reach a preliminary score of 55.00 points or a second or final score of 30.00 points. For girls the minimum requirements are set at 54.00 (preliminaries) or 29.00 (second / final routine) points.

As in Artistic Gymnastics, athletes must qualify at their Junior Continental Championships and may not have participated in FIG senior competitions or multi-sport games prior to the event. A maximum of one male and one female athlete is allowed per NOC.

Asian Junior Artistic and Trampoline Championships

In contrast to YOG qualification, the Asian Junior Championships for Artistic Gymnastics allow for the participation of 14 to 18 year old boys and 13 to 15 year old girls. Age categories for Trampoline Gymnastics are identical.

Click here for details!

Participants Asian Junior Artistic and Trampoline Championships

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
Trampoline Gymnastics

Have a look at the draw!

Schedule

Saturday, March 13
TRA Women’s Individual Qualification
WAG Team and All-around Finals / Qualification for Competition III

Sunday, March 14
TRA Men’s Individual Qualification
MAG Team and All-around Finals / Qualification for Competition III

Monday, March 15
MAG Floor Exercise Final, TRA Women’s Individual Final
MAG Pommel Horse Final, WAG Vault Final
MAG Rings Final, WAG Uneven Bars Final

Tuesday, March 16
MAG Vault Final, TRA Men’s Individual Final
MAG Parallel Bars Final, WAG Balance Beam Final
MAG Horizontal Bar Final, WAG Floor Exercise Final

More information can be found on the official event website.

Two more days of competition for 2010 Artistic Worlds!

ROTTERDAM (NED) - LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 11, 2010: The competition programme for the 2010 Worlds has undergone some changes. Due to the significance of the event and the overwhelming number of countries who have expressed an interest in competing in it, the organisers have decided to add two days of competition.

The 42nd World Championships will now be held from Saturday, 16th October to Sunday, 24th October.

The 2010 Worlds are a hit, both with the fans and with the gymnasts themselves. If preliminary registrations are anything to go by, each and every gymnastics nation on earth is planning to send some representatives to the Rotterdam event, which marks the beginning of the 2012 Olympics qualification cycle. The enormous number of competitors expected to compete in Rotterdam could easily have resulted in extremely long competition days and a very tight schedule, especially for gymnasts who manage to qualify for team finals, all-round finals and event finals. To prevent overburdening the athletes, the organisers of the 2010 Worlds Championships, at the request of the FIG, have made some changes to the competition schedule. Instead of a seven-day event, the 2010 Worlds will now be a nine-day event.

New schedule

Under the new schedule, the 2010 Worlds will kick off on Saturday, 16th October, two days earlier than originally planned. Among other things, the programme changes will allow event finals to be contested over two days rather than one day, which will give the gymnasts a better chance of performing to the best of their abilities. Thus, the two added days of competition will likely make the event more attractive to gymnasts and spectators alike.

Final Schedule,

• Saturday, 16th October: Women’s qualifying competition
• Sunday, 17th October: Women’s qualifying competition
• Monday, 18th October: Men’s qualifying competition
• Tuesday, 19th October: Men’s qualifying competition
• Wednesday, 20th October: Women’s team final
• Thursday, 21st October: Men’s team final
• Friday, 22nd October: Men’s and women's all-round finals
• Saturday, 23rd October: Women’s event finals (vault, bars); men’s event finals (floor, pommel horse, rings)
• Sunday, 24th October: Women’s event finals (beam, floor); men’s event finals (vault, bars, high bar)

Ticketing

As a result of the programme changes, certain parts of the competition will no longer be contested on the dates originally announced. The Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation and the International Gymnastics Federation realise that this may cause some inconvenience to fans who have already bought their tickets, and would like to apologise for this inconvenience. However, the FIG and the KNGU would also like to reiterate that the new schedule is likely to improve the standard of the competition considerably. The programme changes are also good news for all-sessions ticket holders, as they will get two days’ worth of action for free, and will now be able to enjoy nine days’ worth of action with their one ticket!

If you ordered any tickets before the schedule changes were implemented, you will be notified of the changes and what they mean for you. Please keep an eye on your e-mail inbox.

Tickets will go on sale again in the second half of March.

(source: Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation)

FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup B
34th Turnier der Meister
Cottbus (GER), March 12 – 14, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 9, 2010: A tournament with a long tradition in Germany, the 34th Turnier der Meister, will be held for the 8th time since 2003 as a FIG World Cup from March 12 – 14, 2010 in Cottbus.

Turnier der Meister

The Turnier der Meister was first held in 1973 in Schwerin, followed by Berlin in 1978. Since 1979, the German Gymnastics Federation has been hosting the tournament annually in Cottbus together with the gymnastics club SC Cottbus Turnen e.V.

Under the direction of Mirko Wohlfahrt, who took over organisation of the competition from Sylvio Kroll (1988 Olympic Silver medallist on Vault, 1987 World Champion on Vault and 1985 World Champion on Parallel Bars) in 2008, and supplied with apparatus by long-time FIG partner Spieth Gymnastic, the Turnier der Meister will welcome up to 2,000 fans at the Lausitz Arena eager to see the world’s Artistic Gymnastics elite at this second World Cup meet of the year.

Special features such as a ticket fan package for 10 – 18 year olds, an “Oldie Meeting” for former gymnasts, coaches, judges and journalists and a symposium for coaches held by the German Gymnastics Federation make the Cottbus meet particularly attractive for gym friends.

The line-up

A total of 24 nations from Europe, Asia and the Americas will be represented in Cottbus, featuring 73 MAG and 40 WAG gymnasts. Cyril Tommasone (FRA), Saso Bertoncelj (SLO) and Filip Ude (CRO) on Pommel Horse, Jeffrey Wammes (NED) and Matthias Fahrig (GER) on Vault, Anton Fokin (UZB) on Parallel Bars and Epke Zonderland (NED) on Horizontal Bar are among the key players in the men’s competition.

Germany’s MAG head coach Andreas Hirsch appointed 22 year old Marcel Nguyen to lead a team composed of Matthias Fahrig (Floor / Vault / Parallel Bars), Thomas Taranu (Rings / Vault) and two local stars, Philipp Boy (Pommel Horse / Horizontal Bar) and Robert Juckel (Pommel Horse) in the absence of Fabian Hambuechen.

In the women’s competition, head coach Ulla Koch will have to make do without German Champion Kim Bui, who withdrew due to a knee injury. Her team has dropped to three members: 2008 Olympian Marie-Sophie Hindermann, 16 year old newcomer Maike Roll (both on Uneven Bars, Beam and Floor) and 34 year old veteran Oksana Chusovitina, with a comeback on Vault.

Check out the complete roster for the 34th Turnier der Meister!
MAG
WAG

2009 title holders

Men
Floor Exercise – UCHIMURA Kohei (JPN) – 15.700
Pommel Horse – TRUYENS Donna Donny (BEL) – 15.575
Still Rings – VAN GELDER Yuri (NED) – 15.850
Vault – WAMMES Jeffrey (NED) – 16.100
Parallel Bars – PETKOVSEK Mitja (SLO) – 15.775
Horizontal Bar – CUCHERAT Yann (FRA) – 15.775

Women
Vault – KAESLIN Ariella (SUI) – 14.550
Uneven Bars – BRINKER Anja (GER) – 14.825
Balance Beam – PIHAN-KULESZA Marta – 14.075
Floor Exercise – SUI Lu (CHN) – 14.200

For more information check the official event website!

The editorial staff of the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) will provide a live web commentary (in German) throughout the tournament. Check it out on Friday from 1 pm and on the weekend from 2 pm (GMT +1) following this link!

The next FIG World Cup circuit stopover in Artistic Gymnastics will be in Doha (QAT) on August 22 – 24, followed by Paris (FRA) on April 10 – 11.

Book by Véronique Bury

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 9, 2010: Journalist and photographer Véronique Bury (FRA) recently published a book on the basics of Artistic Gymnastics.

Her instructive and informative book sheds light on gymnastics with an impressive simplicity, illustrated by a wealth of poignant and moving photographs. With extensive experience from various sports magazines, the author worked alongside the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) as early as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

(photo: FIG staff with Véronique Bury on the right)

A short history and look into the origin of gymnastics establish a framework within which the reader explores why to choose gymnastics as a sport. Bury gives a detailed description of training techniques and practices, and explains the various gymnastics apparatus. Her short background on world-class gymnastic athletes leaves a lasting impression and encourages future generations.

“Je fais de la GYM”, the original French title, is particularly useful for young gymnasts looking to understand and perform the sport correctly with the help of Bury’s book. Yet readers with little or no knowledge of gymnastics may discover, upon opening it, a new and surprising interest in the sport.

For more information and purchase, click here.

10th African Championships in Artistic Gymnastics2010
Walvis Bay (NAM), March 3 – 5, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 8, 2010: The 10th African Championships started off with junior and senior competitions in Artistic Gymnastics, March 3 – 5, 2010. The event is held every second year with this year’s edition taking place in Walvis Bay (NAM).

Mohamed Sherif El Saharty of Egypt (82.200) and compatriot Salma Mahmoud (50.050) won the Seniors’ Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics All-around titles respectively in Walvis Bay. In Men’s, Arfaoui Sabeur of Tunisia came in second (81.600), followed by South African Tyrone Morris (80.250). In the Women’s competition, Egyptian Farida Ahmed Shoukry joined her team-mate on the podium in second place, while Jennifer Khwela (RSA) took off with the Bronze.

The Men’s Team competition was topped by Egypt (244.900), followed by South Africa (234.850) and Algeria (234.75), while South Africa’s women prevailed (147.400) over Egypt (146.900) and host Namibia (119.100).

Medals for the Senior events including the Apparatus Finals were distributed as follows:

Men
Egypt 10 (4 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze)
Tunisia 4 (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
South Africa (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 4 Bronze)
Namibia 1 (Gold)
Algeria 3 (1 Silver, 2 Bronze)

Women
South Africa 8 (4 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze)
Egypt 7 (1 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze)
Namibia 2 (1 Gold, 1 Bronze)
Algeria 1 (Bronze)

Detailed results
Senior Men
Senior Women

Results for the Juniors’ competition can be checked here:
Junior Men*
Junior Women*
*Results for the Youth Olympic Games Qualification will be communicated at a later date.

The African Championships continue on with Rhythmic Gymnastics competitions from March 7 – 9, Aerobic Gymnastics on March 8 and Trampoline Gymnastics March 11 – 12.

FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup B
International Gymnix 2010
Montreal (CAN), March 5 – 7, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 8, 2010: With seven medals each, Japan and Canada were most successful at the first FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup of the season. Montreal (CAN) set the stage for the opening event on March 5 -7, 2010.

Ali Al Asi won the Silver on Rings for Jordan, former World Champion Aljaz Pegan took Silver on Horizontal Bar for Slovenia and Finland’s Tomi Tuuha settled for Bronze on Vault.

Canadian Kevin Lytwyn, a strong contender for a spot on the 2012 Canadian Olympic team, competed for the first time at a World Cup meet. With Gold on Rings and Bronze on Floor and Parallel Bars, Lytwyn delivered in spades.

“I was pretty confident about my chances for a medal on rings but there were some pretty strong guys out there,” said Lytwyn.

A mere fourth in the qualifying round, 21 year old Japanese Kohei Kameyama surprisingly topped the rankings on Horizontal Bar, relegating Slovenia’s veteran Aljaz Pegan, leader of the preliminary round, to rank two. Kameyama went on to collect Bronze on Rings and Pommel Horse.

Gafuik, one of just three holdovers from Canada's Beijing Olympic team, won the Gold on Vault. He was pleased with his execution and scores on both vaults, particularly the second one, in which he performed two and a half somersaults in a major competition for the first time.

“Generally speaking, you need to score over 16 points to make it to the finals at world championship events, and I managed to average that over two vaults, so that’s a good sign that on I’m on the right track,” said Gafuik.

Having led the Qualification on Floor, young Shusuke Kikuchi (18) of Japan dominated the Final on Saturday. He won with a .65 margin over teammate Kyoichi Watanabe, capturing a Silver on Vault. But on the Parallel Bars, Watanabe took nothing short of Gold.

2009 World Pommel Horse runner up Krisztian Berki (HUN) prevailed on his favorite apparatus by a considerable 1.15 margin, leaving Silver to Canada’s Ken Ikeda, who in turn seized yet another Silver on Parallel Bars. Teammate Jackson Payne added a Bronze on Horizontal Bar to Canada’s record.

Men

Floor
Gold - Shusuke Kikuchi (JPN) 15.400
Silver - Kyoichi Watanabe (JPN) 14.750
Bronze - Kevin Lytwyn (CAN) 14.650

4. Sakari Vekki (FIN) 14.300
5. Jad Mazahreh (JOR) 13.800
6. Ali Al Asi (JOR) 13.250
7. Tomi Tuuha (FIN) 13.150
8. Marco Mayr (AUT) 12.500

Pommel Horse
Gold - Krisztian Berki (HUN) 15.750
Silver - Ken Ikeda (CAN) 14.600
Bronze - Kohei Kameyama (JPN) 14.100

4. Jackson Payne (CAN) 13.300
5. Kyoichi Watanabe (JPN) 13.100
6. Marco Mayr (AUT) 12.900

Rings
Gold - Kevin Lytwyn (CAN) 14.500
Silver - Ali Al Asi (JOR) 14.350
Bronze - Kohei Kameyama (JPN) 13.700

4. Tomi Tuuha (FIN) 13.150
5. Marco Mayr (AUT)13.000

Vault
Gold - Nathan Gafuik (CAN) 16.025
Silver -  Shusuke Kikuchi (JPN) 15.900
Bronze - Tomi Tuuha (FIN) 15.750

4. Jad Mazahreh (JOR) 15.275
5. Ali Al Asi (JOR) 14.850
6. Julian Egermann (AUT) 14.725

Parallel Bars
Gold - Kyoichi Watanabe (JPN) 14.750
Silver -  Ken Ikeda (CAN) 14.400
Bronze - Kevin Lytwyn (CAN) 14.150

4. Tomi Tuuha (FIN) 13.000
5. Marco Mayr (AUT) 12.300
6. Jad Mazahreh (JOR) 11.350
7. Ali Al Asi JORDANIE 10.300

Horizontal Bar
Gold - Kohei Kameyama (JPN) 14.200
Silver - Aljaz Pegan (SLO) 14.100
Bronze - Jackson Payne (CAN) 13.950

4. Kyoichi Watanabe (JPN) 13.800
5. Jad Mazahreh (JOR) 12.900
6. Marco Mayr (AUT) 12.650
7. Nathan Gafuik (AUT) 11.650

Detailed results
Men’s Qualifications
Men’s Finals

The women's competition in Montreal was cancelled due to insufficient entries.

Read related articles at Gymnastics Canada!
Qualifications
Finals day 1
Finals day 2

Cottbus (GER) is the next stop on the 2010 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series, March 12 – 14.

2010 Tyson American Cup
Worcester (USA), March 6, 2010

WORCESTER (USA) - LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 8, 2010: Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas, and Maxim Devyatovsky of Russia won the Women’s and Men’s All-around titles, respectively, at the 2010 Tyson American Cup, the United States most prestigious invitational, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass., and Jonathan Horton of Houston both finished second, with the USA’s Chris Brooks of Houston claiming the Men’s Bronze.

With the USA finishing one-two in the Women’s All-around, Bross easily took the title with her 60.550, with Raisman posting a 58.900. Rounding out the top three was Venezuela’s Jessica Lopez with a 56.500. Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland and Yuko Shintake of Japan were fourth (56.050) and fifth (56.000).

“I am very proud of myself,” said Bross, who was the all-around silver medalist at the 2009 World Championships. “I just wanted to go out and hit, and I did that. It’s still early in the season, so I’m just ready for the rest of it now. It was amazing to watch girls from my gym (Nastia Liukin and Carly Patterson) win this event and then go out and see what they accomplished, and I just hope the string continues for me.”

For the men, Devyatovsky scored a 90.600 total, finishing 0.450 ahead of Horton’s 90.150. Brooks tallied an 89.900 for a third, edging out defending champion Fabian Hambuechen of Germany, who had an 89.000. Daniel Keatings of Great Britain finished fifth at 88.650.

“I am very, very glad to have won,” said Devyatovsky. “It was important to me because in 1986, 24 years ago, an athlete (Alexei Tikhonkikh) from the former Soviet Union and my hometown was a winner of the American Cup and an American girl (Kristie Phillips) won at that competition as well. So I am very glad!”

He added, “I was in the exact position during the 2007 American Cup. I was leading the competition going into Horizontal Bar and I missed my routine. I tried not to think of my previous mistakes today when I was going on high bar. I’m glad I hit my routine this time and won the meet.”

All-around final results

Women
1. Rebecca Bross, Plano, Texas, 60.550
2. Alexandra Raisman, Needham, Mass., 58.900
3. Jessica Lopez, Venezuela, 56.500
4. Ariella Kaeslin, Switzerland, 56.050
5. Yuko Shintake, Japan, 56.000
6. Elisabeth Seitz, Germany, 55.550
7. Dominique Pegg, Canada, 55.150
8. Elsa Garcia, Mexico, 53.900

Men
1. Maxim Devyatovsky, Russia, 90.600
2. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 90.150
3. Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas, 89.900
4. Fabian Hambuechen, Germany, 89.000
5. Daniel Keatings, Great Britain, 88.650
6. Koji Yamamuro, Japan, 86.850
7. Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez, Colombia, 86.200
8. Flavius Koczi, Romania, 85.200

Detailed results
Women’s All-around
Men’s All-around

Photo gallery

(source : USA Gymnastics / adapt. FIG)

Five Gymnastics Legends to be honored by the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

OKLAHOMA CITY (USA) – LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 5, 2010: Five international gymnastics legends will be honored at the 14th annual International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (IGHOF) Ceremony to be held on May 15, 2010, at the Petroleum Club in Oklahoma City (USA).

The class of 2010 honorees includes:

• Cathy Rigby (USA) -1970 World Championships, Silver medal on Balance Beam
• Henrietta Onodi (HUN) - 1992 Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist
• Yuri Korolev (RUS) - 1981 and 1985 World All-Around Champion
• Mikhail Voronin (RUS) - Winner of 9 Olympic medals in 1968 and 1972 (deceased)
• Eileen Langsley (GBR) will be awarded the International Order of Merit for her contributions as the most prolific photographer of major gymnastics competitions for nearly 30 years. 

Over the past thirteen years, 69 of gymnastics greatest stars and contributors, representing 19 countries, have been formally inducted into the Hall of Fame. The IGHOF exhibit is located at Science Museum Oklahoma.

“We are thrilled with the selection of the Class of 2010, and we are excited to celebrate the remarkable careers of these icons on our sport,” commented Bart Conner, the President of the Board of the IGHOF.

For more information about the IGHOF, visit http://www.ighof.com.

(Source: IGHOF)

1st Youth Olympic Games
Singapore (SIN), August 14 – 26, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 4, 2010: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently held a contest to select the design that would adorn the front side of the first Youth Olympic Games medals. The Games are set for August 14 - 26, 2010 in Singapore.

Candidates were asked to submit their entries by December 4, 2009, after which time Internet users could vote for their favourite pick up until January 22, 2010. In the final round, the 10 most popular projects were presented to an IOC-appointed jury for selection of the winning design.

The IOC announced yesterday, on March 3, that Setsuko Fukuzawa is the grand prize winner of the Medal Design Competition. For her submission, lucky Setsuko was rewarded a visit for two to the Singapore Youth Olympic Games. Congratulations!

To read more about Setsuko’s project, click here!

FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup B
International Gymnix 2010
Montreal (CAN), March 5 – 7, 2010

MONTREAL (CAN) - LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 4, 2010: Canadian Olympic veterans Nathan Gafuik of Calgary and Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., and their teammates Jackson Payne of Edmonton and Kevin Lytwyn of Stoney Creek, Ont., are looking to get the 2010 gymnastics season off to a flying start at a Men’s FIG World Cup meet in Montreal (CAN), March 5-7.

All four members of the Canadian squad looked sharp at the Elite Canada meet last weekend in Gatineau, Que., and are aiming for the podium in a field that includes a team from gymnastics powerhouse Japan.

Gafuik, who has one of the most difficult Horizontal Bar routines in the world and is also strong on Vault and Floor, is eager to ramp up his performance with an eye to making his third Olympic team in 2012.

“There was a bit of a let down after Beijing but we’ve all been working really hard since the fall and want to show what we can do,” said Gafuik, who won two medals at last year’s World Cup in Montreal.

“I’m excited about my Horizontal Bar routine, it’s finally starting to come together,” said Gafuik, a key figure on Canada’s rebuilding men’s team following the retirements of 2004 Olympic Champion Kyle Shewfelt, and three other members of the Beijing team.

Lytwyn, who picked up five individual event medals at Elite Canada, says he’s especially looking forward to the Montreal meet after getting knocked out last year with an injury.

“Everything is going well right now and I’m working on consistency in all my routines,” says Lytwyn, who is a contender on Horizontal Bar and Rings.

The men’s competition features individual event competitions only, with each country allowed two competitors per apparatus.

In addition to the World Cup meet, Canada’s top women gymnasts, both junior and senior, will also be in action this weekend. Among the competitors at the Gymnix International Cup for seniors are 2008 Olympian Nansy Damianova of Montreal, 2009 Canadian all around champion Sydney Sawa of Calgary and 2007 world team member Kristina Vaculik of Whitby, Ont.

(source: Gymnastics Canada / adapt. FIG)

2010 Tyson American Cup
Worcester (USA), March 6, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 3, 2010: The United States’ most prestigious All-around international invitational, the 2010 Tyson American Cup will be held March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The event will feature some of the world’s top gymnasts in an All-around format. The USA’s Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., and Germany’s Fabian Hambuechen won the All-around titles at the 2009 Tyson American Cup. The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton and Peter Vidmar.

“The Tyson American Cup is known for showcasing current and rising stars in gymnastics,” said Steve Penny, President of USA Gymnastics. “This year is no exception, and this prestigious field is an indication of what will be another exciting showdown for both the men and women.”

The Tyson American Cup features a mix of the world’s top gymnasts and rising stars. Reigning Tyson American Cup champion and 2008 Olympic Horizontal Bar Bronze medallist Fabian Hambuechen (GER) highlights the international field at the Tyson American Cup that consists of seven 2008 Olympians and three 2009 World medallists, including 2009 World All-around Silver medallist Daniel Keatings of Great Britain, 2009 World Vault Silver medallists Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland and Flavius Koczi of Romania, 2009 World All-around fifth-place finisher Maxim Devyatovsky of Russia, 2009 World Vault finallist Elsa Garcia of Mexico, and World Cup Floor exercise Bronze medallist Elisabeth Seitz of Germany. Two U.S. alternates have also been named: 2009 World Horizontal Bar fourth-place finisher Danell Leyva of Miami, and 2009 U.S. Floor Exercise Bronze medallist Kytra Hunter of San Antonio, Texas.

The entire field, representing 11 countries, is listed below.

Women
Canada, Dominique Pegg
Germany, Elisabeth Seitz
Japan, Yuko Shintake
Mexico, Elsa Garcia
Switzerland, Ariella Kaeslin
Venezuela, Jessica Lopez
United States, Rebecca Bross
United States, Alexandra Raisman
Alt. United States, Kytra Hunter

Men
Colombia, Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez
Germany, Fabian Hambuechen
Great Britain, Daniel Keatings
Japan, Koji Yamamuro
Romania, Flavius Koczi
Russia, Maxim Devyatovsky
United States, Chris Brooks
United States, Jonathan Horton
Alt. United States, Danell Leyva

Click here for complete Tyson American Cup information!

(source: USA Gymnastics / adapt. FIG)

FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup B
International Gymnix 2010
Montreal (CAN), March 5 – 7, 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 2, 2010: On the way to this year’s World Championships in Rotterdam (NED), the world’s artistic elite is getting ready for the first World Cup of the season in Montreal (CAN) from March 5 – 7, 2010. As in 2009, the experienced Canadian organisers of the Club Gymnix have set the omni-sport gymnasium of the Complexe Claude Robillard, a multi-purpose sport facility, which has a seating capacity of some 5,000 spectators. The apparatus are provided by long-time FIG partner Gymnova.

International Gymnix

The International Gymnix was first organised in 1991, with the goal of providing Canadian gymnasts the opportunity to perform in front of their home crowd, while gaining international experience. Over the years, it has grown to become the biggest international gymnastics competition held in Canada, with over 600 athletes, 100 coaches and officials, as well as an impressive team of 200 volunteers. Apart from the World Cup, the tournament features a juniors competition scheduled for March 4 and 6.

A line-up of 16 male gymnasts hailing from Austria, Finland, Hungary, Jordan, Japan, Slovenia and host Canada are expected to compete in Montreal. Due to low registration numbers the women’s competition unfortunately had to be cancelled.

Out of last year’s contenders only Krisztian Berki (HUN) is starting to defend his title on Pommel Horse. Other key players include 2005 World Champion on Horizontal Bar Aljaz Pegan (SLO) and many 2009 World Championships participants. Local fans will cheer for Nathan Guik and Kevin Lytwyn, who triumphed at the 2010 Elite Canada meet last weekend in Gatineau.

Results Elite Canada day 1 / day 2

Check out the complete roster for the 2010 International Gymnix!

2009 Title Holders:

Men

Floor   SELARIU Dorin Razvan (ROU)  14.800
Pommel Horse BERKI Krisztian (HUN)   15.775
Rings   PINHEIRO-RODRIGUES Danny (FRA) 15.650
Vault   POPESCU Ilie Daniel (ROU)   15.900
Parallel Bars  KIERZKOWSKI Adam (POL)   15.225
Horizontal Bar  MOZNIK Darijo (CRO)   15.475

Women

Vault    MACKIE Charlotte (CAN)   14.150
Uneven Bars  SHAPIRO Samantha (USA)   14.725
Balance Beam LARSON Mattie (USA)   14.650
Floor Exercise  LARSON Mattie (USA)   14.950

For more information consult the official event website and check back with us for the results and a competition review.

The next stopovers on the 2010 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series, that is composed of a total of 13 events, are set for Cottbus (GER) on March 12 - 14 and Doha (QAT) on March 22 - 24.

10th African Championships 2010 in ART, RG, TRA and AER
Walvis Bay (NAM), March 2010

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, March 1, 2010: This month, junior and senior gymnasts hailing from Africa will gather in Walvis Bay (NAM) to compete at the 10th African Championships 2010. Competitions will be held in Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline and Aerobic Gymnastics. For Olympic disciplines, junior tournaments will qualify eligible gymnasts for the 1st Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore this summer. With a limit of one gymnast per NOC (1 Group in the case of Rhythmic Groups = 4 gymnasts), Africa has been allocated the following quota for the YOG:

MAG and WAG: 2 gymnasts each; RG: 2 Individuals and 1 Group (= 4 gymnasts); and TRA: 1 male and 1 female gymnast.

In addition, each competition allows for a certain number of what are referred to as NOC universality places, which guarantee the representation of all continents, as stipulated by the IOC.

YOG competition format and athlete eligibility

Artistic Gymnastics

The Youth Olympic Games competition format for Artistic Gymnastics is as follows: All gymnasts (42 boys and 42 girls) compete as individuals in a qualifying event, the results of which are used to identify the Individual All-around and Apparatus finalists. Gymnasts compete on all six apparatus for boys and on all four apparatus for girls. The best 18 male and female gymnasts from the qualifications proceed to the Individual All-around Finals, and the top eight who placed highest on each apparatus compete for the apparatus titles.

While for both the boys’ and girls’ competitions 28 gymnasts qualify via the FIG, 13 spots are reserved as NOC universality places in order to guarantee the representation of each continent, with one extra place for the host country. Continental quotas have been allocated as follows: 14 spots for Europe, 7 for Asia (including 1 spot for the host country), 2 for Africa, 5 for America and 1 for Oceania.

The required age for Artistic gymnasts to be eligible to participate in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games is 16-17 years for boys (born in 1993 or 1994), and 15 years for girls (born in 1995). Gymnasts must qualify at their Junior Continental Championships and may not have previously participated at FIG senior competitions or multi-sport games. A maximum of one male and one female athlete is allowed per NOC.

All gymnasts must have reached the following minimum standards: Boys as well as girls must participate on all apparatus and reach an average minimum execution score of 7.5, thus a total execution score of at least 45 points for MAG and 30 points for WAG.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

The Youth Olympic Games feature two events in Rhythmic Gymnastics: Individual All-around and Group All-around. Individuals compete on Rope, Hoop, Ball and Clubs; Groups on 4 Hoops and 4 Ribbons. A total of 18 Individual gymnasts and six Groups will qualify for Singapore. The continental quotas have been allocated as follows: In Individuals, Europe gets 6 spots, Asia 3 (including 1 spot for the host country), Africa 2, America 2 and Oceania 1. Four spots are reserved as NOC universality places in order to guarantee the representation of each continent. These will have an opportunity to send one Rhythmic Group to the Youth Olympic Games, with an extra spot for Asia as the host country.

Gymnasts competing in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games must be 15 years old (born in 1995) and may not have participated in FIG senior competitions or multi-sport games prior to the event. Additionally, they must fulfil specified performance criteria. In Individual, gymnasts must participate at all apparatus and reach an average minimum execution score of 7.5, thus a total of 30 points minimum. Groups must reach a minimum average execution score of 7.5 points in both exercises, which means at a minimum 15 points total.

Trampoline Gymnastics

In Trampoline Gymnastics the YOG programme schedules an individual competition for boys and one for girls. Each qualification round consists of two routines of 10 skills, and the top eight male and female athletes qualify for the Finals. Each final round consists of one routine of 10 skills.

A total of 12 gymnasts each will qualify for Singapore, whereas Europe takes three spots, Asia two (including one for the host country), America also two, and Africa and Oceania one spot each. Three spots are reserved as NOC universality places.
The required age for Trampoline gymnasts eligible for the Singapore Youth Olympic Games is 16-17 years (born in 1993 or 1994) for both boys and girls.

As in Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics, athletes must qualify at their Junior Continental Championships and may not have participated in FIG senior competitions or multi-sport games prior to the event. A maximum of one male and one female athlete is allowed per NOC.

Competition Schedule 2010 African Championships

Artistic Gymnastics

Wednesday, March 3: Competition I, II and IV, Junior / Senior
Thursday, March 4: Competition III, Senior
Friday, March 5: Competition III, Senior

Rhythmic and Aerobic Gymnastics

Sunday, March 7: Competition I, II and IV, Junior / Senior / Groups
Monday, March 8: Competition III, Junior / Senior & AER Finals
Tuesday, March 9: Competition III, Junior / Senior

Trampoline Gymnastics

Thursday, March 11: Competition TRA TUM, Junior / Senior & TUM Finals
Friday, March 12: TRA Finals, Junior / Senior & DMT Qualification / Finals
For the detailed programme click here!

Read a related article at Namibia Sport!

Natural disaster strikes in Madeira

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, February 23, 2010: Due to the catastrophic flooding that overshadowed the region, organisers of the 14th International Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament on Madeira Island in Funchal (POR) have cancelled the event, originally scheduled for February 26 – 28, 2010.

Profoundly moved by the tragedy, FIG President Prof. Bruno Grandi conveys a message of solidarity to Portuguese gymnasts and local inhabitants on behalf of the international gymnastics community as a whole.

With a strong tradition in gymnastics, Portugal stands out as a dynamic country that organises a variety of international FIG calendar events in every discipline. In 2010, World Cup and Series events will take place in Portimao in March (Rhythmic), Ponta Delgada (Aerobic) in April / May, Porto in June (Artistic) and in Loulé in September (Trampoline).

11th Junior Asian Championships in Artistic and Trampoline Gymnastics
Chiba (JPN), March 13 – 16, 2010

TOKYO (JPN) - LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, February 18, 2010: The drawing of lots for the 11th Junior Asian Championships in Artistic and Trampoline Gymnastics was held on February 16, just one month prior to the beginning of the competition, a qualifying event for the 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

The draw was conducted at the Head Office of the Japan Gymnastic Association (JGA) in Tokyo (JPN) in the presence of FIG Vice President Koji Takizawa, FIG Women’s Artistic TC member and Asian Gymnastics Union (AGU) Women’s Artistic TC President Yoshie Harinishi, JGA Executive Director Morinari Watanabe, and JGA Trampoline Gymnastics Judges Committee Shinya Muto.

The draw was held after the deadline for nominative registration. The AGU had registered the participation of 16 federations represented by 123 athletes; a total of 58 Men’s Artistic gymnasts, 42 Women’s Artistic gymnasts and 26 trampolinists (13 boys, 10 girls).

Drawing of lots for MAG Competition I
Drawing of lots for WAG Competition I
Drawing of lots for TRA Competition I
Drawing of lots for ART Competition III

(source: JGA / adapt. FIG)