The 23rd Azerbaijan Championship and the 3rd Interregional Cup in Rhythmic Gymnastics finished at the ‘Kur’ Olympic Educational Sports Center in Mingachevir city.
The competition was attended by 103 gymnasts competing in the individual program, and 9 teams in the group exercises at the age categories ‘kids’ (born in 2006-2008), ‘pre-juniors’ (born in 2004-2005), and the ‘juniors’ ( born in 2001-2003). They were representing the ‘Ojag sport’ club, Republican complex sports school, the Baku Gymnastics School, Sport and Olympic Center ‘Syarhyadchi’, sports society of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, sports club ‘Gemryukchyu’, and the Sumgait branch of the Republican sports school ‘Tyahsil’, Sports club Zirva of the city of Khirdalan, Gusar of the regions Kurdamir and Ismayilli.
At the competition ‘kids’ performed without equipment, with rope and hoop, and the ‘pre-juniors’ performed with hoop, ball, clubs and rib; the ‘juniors" performed with rope, hoop, ball and clubs.
After the performances of the individual gymnasts, the competitions were continued by the group exercises teams. The competitions in gymnastics, which were of a high level of organization, with exciting and colorful program, were attended by the athletes from Ukraine and Kazakhstan, who showed gymnastics display.
As the Vice-President of the European Union of Gymnastics and Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation’s Secretary General, Farid Gaibov, said in an interview to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, this was not the first tournament held in the regions. "We have six types of gymnastics, and we hold the Championship of Azerbaijan in the country. The championship of Azerbaijan is a planned tournament, involving small children. We hold it in the regions, because the artistic gymnastics is presented not only in the capital, but in other 12 regions as well, and every year the number of these regions and cities increases. At least once a year we try to hold this event out of Baku, in order to attract the local residents and children to gymnastics,’’ Farid Gaibov said.
"I want to boast: the first selection, which took place six months ago, was attended by 240 children. Honestly, we did not expect such a full-house. The city of Mingechevir pleased us with a desire of parents to bring their children, girls in sports. And the current tournament, which was held here, was really great. I am very grateful to parents - they came from many regions, from the capital, that is, kind of a sports tourism has begun in Azerbaijan. I am very pleased that our public began to understand gymnastics. This, of course, was not immediate - this is a fruit of many years of our work, we have been doing this for 14 years,’’ the vice-president of the European gymnastics Union, Secretary General of Azerbaijan gymnastics Federation said.
