TEAMGYM IN BAKU

The National Gymnastics Arena in Baku served as the venue for the 15th European TeamGym Championship, which took place from October 16 to 19. This esteemed sporting event attracted athletes and fans from a multitude of European countries, with the opening ceremony serving as a magnificent celebration of sport and culture.

In his remarks at the opening of the event, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan and President of the European Gymnastics Union (UEG), Farid Gayibov, highlighted the country's achievements in gymnastics. He attributed these successes to the distinctive care and attention of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and President of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation Mehriban Aliyeva. The Minister emphasized the importance of hosting such high-profile competitions in the country, noting that TeamGym exemplifies the ability to demonstrate strength, agility, teamwork, and the individual skills of each athlete at the highest level, which is particularly crucial for participants in the European Championship.

European Winners

At the conclusion of the four-day competition, the winners were determined in both the youth and adult categories. In the preliminary final stage, the winners in the youth category were announced. Representatives from Denmark and Sweden were awarded gold and silver medals, respectively, while Iceland was awarded gold and bronze. Additionally, teams from Norway and Great Britain were awarded bronze medals. On the second final day, the adult category winners were recognized. The gold medal was awarded to athletes from Iceland and Denmark, the silver medal to Sweden, the bronze medal to Norway and Great Britain, which also received the silver medal.

Subsequently, individual accolades were bestowed upon those who demonstrated exemplary prowess during the competition. Four athletes from Sweden, five from Denmark, two from Iceland, and one from Norway were bestowed with the All-Stars award.

In conclusion, Nurlana Mammadzade, Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, presented the flag of European Gymnastics to UEG President Farid Gayibov. Subsequently, Gayibov transferred the flag to Solisma Sonia, the Technical Director of the Finnish Gymnastics Federation. He proceeded to announce that the next European TeamGym Championships will be held in 2026 in Espoo, Finland.

Rising Interest

Nurlana Mammadzade proceeded to share with them details about the organisation of the tournament. "The Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation is engaged in the organisation of international competitions in both Olympic and non-Olympic sports. However, this is the inaugural occasion on which the Federation is hosting the European TeamGym Championship. TeamGym constitutes a youth sport that forms part of the discipline of European gymnastics. The sport enjoys a particular degree of popularity in Scandinavia, but it has also garnered a following in other European countries. Since 2019, efforts have been made to develop this sport in Azerbaijan, and the national team is also participating in the championship. As indicated by its nomenclature, this competition is a team event where the collective results are of significant importance. There has been considerable interest in the European Championship. Spectators of competing teams journeyed to Baku to offer their support to their respective national representatives.

It is worthy of note that 46 teams from 14 countries participated in the competition. Athletes from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Austria, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, and other nations participated in the competition at the National Gymnasium.