The Intercontinental Judges’ Courses on Rhythmic Gymnastics of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) have started in Baku today.
Welcoming the course participants, the Vice-President of the European Union of Gymnastics, Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Farid Gaibov, noted that this is the second major event for the judges to be held in Baku in such a short period - the FIG Intercontinental judges’ courses were held in the capital of Azerbaijan in the previous week.
"I hope you will also be able to find time to enjoy the sights of Baku and visit the National Gymnastic Arena," a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza cited Gaibov as saying.
Vice President of the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee, Noha Abou Shabana, speaking with our correspondent, stressed the importance of Baku courses for the gymnastics community. "This is the beginning of a new life. We have started preparing the new generation of judges for the new Olympic cycle, for the Olympics 2020. Therefore, it is important for us to make sure that the judges have enough knowledge and understanding of the new scoring system, because a lot of changes has been made to our standards for development of gymnastics," she pointed out, adding that the judges will be able to get the second, third and fourth categories, depending on their results and experience.
Noha Abou Shabana praised the quality of refereeing in Azerbaijan. " Twenty judges are presenting Azerbaijan in the courses, while only six presented it in the past - and this is important progress for the republic. It is an important step in the development of gymnastics in the country, because the majority of judges are former acrobats and gymnasts, who understand what gymnasts need, how they must act," the Vice President of the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee explained.
She also thanked the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation for the excellent organization of the courses. "The conditions for experts and candidates are wonderful here, we have everything we need in one place, including the hotel. We also have free meals. There are different conditions in different countries, but Baku has exceeded all our expectations," Noha Abou Shabana admitted.
