9th Senior Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships officially launched
DOHA (QAT): The four-day 9th Senior Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships got underway with team and All-Around competitions at the Aspire Dome on Wednesday.
Some of the world’s and Asia’s top gymnasts will be looking to seal a berth for the 2022 FIG World Artistic Championships during the next three days in the competition, organised by Qatar Gymnastics Federation under the aegis of Asian Gymnastics Union while the competition is supported by Qatar Olympic Committee and other stakeholders.
The championship was declared open by Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) president Mr Ali Al Hitmi, who is also the First Vice-President at International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
Reigning champions China along with Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, central Asians Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia are among the 21 countries who are taking part in the competition which is being in the Qatari capital after 2008.
Day one featured men’s floor exercise, pommel horse and rings plus women’s vault and uneven bars take place in the all-around competitions. The men’s vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar and women’s balance beam and floor exercise events will be held on Thursday (June 16).
The Team and All-Around finals will also serve as qualifications for the apparatus finals, which will be held on days three and four.
Five teams of four gymnasts (MAG) including six from the All-Around competitions while the four teams of four gymnasts besides eight from All-Around events will be hoping to book a berth from the Asian Championships for the Worlds scheduled to be held in Liverpool (United Kingdom) from 29 October to 6 November.
According to FIG regulations for the Worlds, a total 24 teams of five gymnasts for both MAG & WAG besides 40 individual MAG gymnasts from All-Around competitions and 49 for WAG will feature in 2022 World Championships.
The outcome of the top Asian teams (MAG and WAG) will be known after tomorrow’s (Thursday) events.
China, one of the powerhouses in world gymnastics, had dominated the medals table in the 2019 edition in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) with 18 podium finishes, including 10 gold medals followed by Japan.
