This year, Azerbaijan's national trampoline team arrived at the Baku World Cup in Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling in a very good psychological and physical condition, the head coach of the team Vladimir Shulikin told Vestnik Kavkaza on the eve of the tournament.
"Now we are not so stressed as we were at the last World Cup in Baku, there is a very good atmosphere in the team. I will not make predictions about our performance, but we are going to nail it," he said, adding that he expects strong support from Baku citizens.
According to the head coach of the team, an individual approach to each athlete helps him to train the team.
The coach praised the state's assistance to trampoline gymnasts. "Attention to trampoline gymnastics has greatly increased in Azerbaijan. It can be seen in both the competition and the growing number of children, coaches and trampoline clubs. I would say that the development of this type of gymnastics is significant in the country, and in a few years we will have more athletes capable to worthily represent Azerbaijan in trampoline," he expressed confidence.
Vladimir Shulikin praised the new rules for trampoline tournaments, which will be applied for the first time at the World Cup in Baku. "It will help the development and promotion of trampolines. Under the old rules for the audience it was a bit boring to look at performances, so they could leave uninteresting events. Now athletes can be clearly seen and the audience is not, which allows allow athletes to improve concentration," the head coach of Azerbaijan's national trampoline team Vladimir Shulikin concluded.
The new Olympic cycle’s first World Cup in Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling will take place at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku on February 18-19. 85 trampoline and tumbling gymnasts from 15 countries will take part in the competitions on the basis of the new Code of Points coming into force in 2017. The qualifications will take place on February 18, finals will be held on February 19.
