BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jun. 9
Trend:
New dates of the postponed continental Championships were the main topic of the Executive Committee (EC) meetings of the European Gymnastics held online last month, European Gymnastics President Farid Gayibov said, Trend reports with reference to the European Gymnastics.
“Originally, we planned eight events in 2020, five of which we have postponed until 2021. The organization of the 2020 European Championships in three Olympic disciplines were under question,” Gayibov said.
He noted that every day, news on the current situation connected with COVID-19 in European countries and the measures taken by the governments of these countries are received, the situation is constantly changing, and nobody is certain how the situation will evolve in the near and far future.
“On the other hand, good news is that the gymnasts have resumed training. We have received a lot of communication from National Federations stating that gymnasts need competitions, since that is where the end result is found! Gymnasts, their coaches and surely federations should plan their events calendar. Based on the survey we have conducted, the majority of the federations requested to organize the postponed European Championships at the end of this year,” he said.
Gayibov added that European Gymnastics is liaising with the representatives of the Local Organising Committees both in Baku and Kyiv.
“As a result of long discussions within our EC, we arrived at a decision to host these events at the end of the year – November. There are still questions pending, such as, spectators open competition, what medical and security measures, travel and accommodation, etc. Now, we will continue our work with the Local Organizing Committees to ensure the safety of the athletes and develop effective preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19,” Gayibov said.
He added that European Gymnastics will continuously evaluate the situation and work on solving issues mentioned above.
“Should the situation at a later date not be considered safe enough anymore, we will react accordingly. Therefore, I advise that federations consider all factors while booking their flights. I also ask host Federations to provide flexible conditions for participants to prevent financial losses in the event of cancellation of these Championships,” Gayibov said.
In his words, during a recent videoconference within the Executive Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) along with the decisions taken to support National Federations and athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, new dates were fixed for the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships, as well as approved changes to the World Cup Rules in Artistic Gymnastics & Acrobatic Gymnastics, etc.
“The organization of the FIG Congress and subsequent elections were once again discussed with the final decision to be made on June 15. We already know the new dates for some of the postponed World and Challenge Cups now scheduled for 2021. We share the same agitation with rescheduled competitions as we do with postponed flights – when do we get home? When do we finally compete? We are ready, steady,” he said.