BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. Athletes from 38 countries are going to participate in the European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Baku, Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation Nurlana Mammadzada told reporters, Trend reports.
According to her, at the championship, along with the seniors in the individual and group programs, the junior teams in the group exercise will also perform.
Speaking about the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup taking place in Baku, Nurlana Mammadzada noted that this is the third Cup in the gymnastics disciplines that Azerbaijan holds.
"In terms of rhythmic gymnastics, it is the 10th World Cup, that is being held in Azerbaijan this year. A total of 135 gymnasts from 40 countries around the world are taking part in this World Cup," she added.
The secretary general stressed that both organization preparations and athlete training begin long before the start of competitions.
"The Azerbaijani team was preparing for the World Cup in the National Gymnastics Arena. Also, as you know, gymnasts from different parts of the world often come here for training camps. Before the start of the World Cup, along with our national team, there were also training camps for representatives of other countries. Let me remind you that last week we hosted the AGF Trophy International Tournament in Rhythmic Gymnastics, and some gymnasts who perform at the World Cup today also participated in the last tournament," she concluded.
The FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup is being held on April 21-23 at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku.
Azerbaijan is being represented in the individual program by Zohra Aghamirova and Alina Gezalova and in the group exercises program by a team consisting of Gullu Aghalarzade, Laman Alimuradova, Kamilla Aliyeva, Zeynab Hummatova, Yelizaveta Luzan, and Darya Sorokina.
Gymnasts compete for awards in competitions with separate apparatuses and in the all-around. Traditionally, the AGF Trophy will be awarded to the athlete and the group team that scored the highest point for the performance.