DOHA, November 12, 2018 – Qatar and its capital Doha staged the 48th edition of the World Championship as gymnastics finds itself once more at a crossroads, grappling to balance its past with the future. American Simone Biles once more starred as she remains a billboard for the sport an the other side, Artur Dalaloyan (RUS) collected an impressive set of 5 medals, becoming the most successful male gymnast of the competition.

Industry race – World sports, or the sports industry, is in a continuous and accelerated race for change – to find new forms of competition and remain a nucleus for the society in spite of an avalanche of ballast – read corruption, doping, political involvement, illegal betting, sexual abuse, imposing their own rules, poor correlation with the media and supporters, ivory towers, and many others. It is not easy to gain traction in the new world of social and digital media or to try and conquer new generations and new territories, but the 48th edition of the World Championships, hosted by Doha, proved that gymnastic, a sport with a very high market share, is very dynamic.

Looking to the future – Today’s reality is that FIG is looking to the future as the organisation is forced to rethink. In this regard, the World Championships format is a problem, because the size and length of the competition need reduction. „It is a heavy burden on gymnasts physically and mentally, and in some cases it leads to injuries… We have difficulties to find organizers due to huge expenses… The World Championships must be the competition for the most experienced athletes and the showcase for the gymnastics family„, said FIG President Morinari Watanabe. The Competition Commission is consulting with the Technical Committees exploring the idea of using Continental Championships as  qualifiers for the World Championships. At the Aspire Dome more than 500 gymnasts from 76 country competed in a new round of qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games. For the first time a first junior World Championships for Artistic Gymnastics will be held in 2019 in Győr, Hungary. The championships will be evaluated and if deemed successful, the junior world championships will be added to the FIG calendar, to take place every other year.

Novelties – With 76 country in the field and more than 500 gymnasts – including 22 World and Olympic gold medalists from thirteen nations and numerous young gymnasts favored for more success in Doha, the 48th edition was a truly global sports event. For the first time the World Championships were staged in the Middle East. Previously, the competition  had staged in  Europe, North America, Australia and East Asia, but this was new ground. The top 24 teams earned their spot at next year’s World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and the top 3 teams (men – China, Russia, Japan, women – USA,  Russia, China) sealed their spots for Tokyo, The rest will have a new chance at Olympic qualification in Stuttgart. The competition marks the first time since 1974 that teams have been able to secure Olympic qualification as early as two years before the next Olympic Games. No less than 17 countries left Doha with medals! Chinese Taipei, Mexico and the Philippines got on to the podium for the first time. Teams – Romania – that had shone in the past struggled.

China wins men’s title – By a margin of 0.049, China recaptured the men’s team title ahead of Russia and Japan. In a thrilling competition minimal errors made the difference and there was very little to tilt the balance in favor of the Chinese gymnasts (Deng Shudi, Lin Chaopan, Sun Wei, Xiao Ruoteng, Zou Jingyuan). For the Chinese men their medal in Doha was the team’s 18th world team medal since 1981 and first team gold since 2014. Russia (David Belyavskiy, Artur Dalaloyan, Nikolai Kusenkov, Dmitrii Lankin, Nikita Nagornyy), who outscored China in the qualifications in Doha, came down to the final routine, with Nagornyy needing 13.783 to clinch the first world team title for the Russian men, but he had a slight break on a pirouette and scored just 13.733. Japan (Kazuma Kaya, Kenzo Shirai, Yusuke Tanaka, Wataru Tanigawa, Kohei Uchimura), the defending world and Olympic team champion, were left with bronze, their 20th world team medal since 1954. Bronze medallists in 2011 and 2014, the United States finished nearly 2 points outside the podium.

US women seal sixth team gold – The American women (Simone Biles, Kara Eaker, Morgan Hurd, Grace McCallum, Riley  McCusker) won their sixth world team title, taking gold by nearly 9 points ahead of Russia and China, one of the largest margins in history. Simone Biles and her teammates romped to their fourth consecutive team title since 201

1 and sixth team title overall since 2003. After finishing off the podium in 2015, the Russian gymnasts (Lilia Akhaimova, Irina Alekseeva, Angelina Melnikova, Aliia Mustafina, Angelina Simakova) took silver, equalling their finish from the Rio 2016 Olympics. China (Yile Chen, Liu Jinru, Luo Huan, Jin Zhang), grabbed bronze, the fourth world team bronze medal and eighth world team medal since 1981. The thrilling final saw all eight teams within reach of a medal at some point: the Canadian took their best-ever finish with fourth place;

Old and new stars – Considered the greatest of all time by many, Simone Biles (21) made her return to world competition after taking a year off following her triumph at the Rio Olympics. Despite uncharacteristic errors the Olympic champion left Doha with a maximum six medals – four golds, one silver and one bronze. She is the first gymnast to win a medal in every event at the world championships since the late Yelena Shushunova (USSR) in 1987. Her comeback was completed by winning a record fourth World All-around title, after having won three world all-around titles from 2013 – 2015 (she was previously tied with Svetlana Khorkina, who won in 1997, 2001 and 2003). Biles’s 20 career medals is tied with Khorkina (RUS) from 1994 – 2003, and the American now has more world championships gold medals than any other gymnast. Silver medallist Mai Murakami made her own history for Japan. She became the third all-around medal for the Japanese women and the first silver following bronzes from Keiko Ikeda in 1962 and Koko Tsurumi in 2009.

Tie-break for gold – In the men’s competition, after winning three European titles in Glasgow, Artur Dalaloyan (RUS) collected an impressive set of 5 medals in Doha, becoming the most successful male gymnast of the competition. Dalaloyan edged defending world champion Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) for the all-around title, ending a 19-year gold medal drought for the Russian men in the all-around. Dalaloyan’s victory also snapped a 13-year winning streak by Asia in the men’s all-around event, as Chinese and Japanese gymnasts won every world and Olympic all-around title for men from 2005 to 2017.  Dalaloyan is the second world all-around champion for the Russian men and the first since Nikolai Kryukov won in 1999 in Tianjin (CHN). His teammate Nikita Nagornyy claimed bronze. The both medals are the first for the Russian men in the All-around since the late Yuri Ryazanov won bronze in 2009 in London (GBR). Xiao Ruoteng, the defending champion from 2017 in Montreal and the top qualifier in Doha, turned in the most consistent performance, but his score of 14.233 tied him with Dalaloyan and the tie-break procedure – in which only the top five scores are counted – left him in second, 74.198 to 73.465, but he was the beneficiary of the tie-break of Pommel Horse, edging Max Whitlock (GBR), the two-time defending champion and Olympic champion.  In the apparatus, RI Se Gwang (PRK, 33), the 2016 Rio Olympic champion, returned to action after skipping the 2017 World Championships and captured his third world championships title on the men’s Vault following 2014 and 2015;  Defending world champion Kenzo Shirai (JPN) won bronze on Vault. In a thrilling Parallel Bars final, defending champion Zou Jing (CHN) performed a routine that was equal parts athleticism and artistry, follow by Oleg Verniaev (UKR), Olympic champion and the 2014 world champion, and Dalaloyan with bronze, his fifth medal in Doha; The „Flying Dutchman”, 2012 Olympic champion Epke Zonderland (NED, 32) – who welcomed son Bert days before he departed for Doha – closed out the competition with a gold medal on Horizontal Bar, his third following world titles in 2013 and 2014; The two-time Olympic and six-time world All-around champion, 2015 world titlist Kohei Uchimura (JPN), who skipped the individual all-around competition to nurse an injury and who helped Japan win bronze in the team final in Doha, won his only individual medal with the silver at the Horizontal Bar; American Sam Mikulak won the bronze, his first individual medal at a World Championships; Carlos Yulo (PHI, 18) already made history in Doha by qualifying to the final, a first for a Filipino gymnast, and went one better in the final by taking the bronze. The two-time European all-around Champion Oleg Verniaev (UKR) made his return to competition on Doha after surgery after only three months back in training. Lee Chih-Kai (TPE) won the bronze, the second world medal for Chinese Taipei and first in 25 years.

Ethics in sport – Undoubtedly, the „Nassar case” shook the world of gymnastics. FIG’s reaction was prompt, because “every place in the world where gymnasts train each day, and that the safety of children is of the utmost importance.” FIG combats physical, mental and sexual abuse and harassment in the sport, as seen in a three-pillar approach. Establishing an Ethics Foundation FIG – an independent organization that will investigate misconduct allegations and if necessary, report their findings to the FIG for suspension or expulsion – reinforce its rules and review its structure to fight abuse and all forms of misconduct in the sport. The Athletes’ Commission plays an important role and vowed, following a meeting in Doha, to be more active in this direction.

Zero tolerance for doping – FIG has zero tolerance for doping and conducts regular out-of-competition controls and numerous in-competition controls at all its world championships and major events. “In the setting of the 48th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Doha, Qatar’s National Anti-doping Commission and the FIG Anti-doping, Medical and Scientific Commission are co-operating closely in delivering an on-site information and consciousness-raising operation for gymnasts, their coaches and entourage following WADA’s Outreach Program on anti-doping. Qatar’s anti-doping commission and the testing laboratory are fully recognized by WADA and renowned for their quality and expertise. The FIG Anti-doping, Medical and Scientific Commission organizes medical and anti-doping roundtables at all its World Championships, with extensive information concerning anti-doping and injury prevention” read a FIG Press Release. FIG became the latest organization to sign up to the International Testing Agency (ITA).

Gymnastics mums – “The term gymnastics mums usually brings to mind dedicated parents shuttling their kids to and from practises, volunteering at meets and packing healthy snacks in gym bags. At the World Championships in Doha, the gymnastics mums were world-class athletes contending for medals,” said Mike Behrensen, FIG Communications Manager. The competition roster in Doha included four gymnasts who have returned to the sport after giving birth, no easy task.

The ageless Oksana Chusovitina (UZB, 43), going for an unprecedented eighth Olympic Games in 2020, has revolutionised the sport and the other three gymnastics mothers in Doha – Aliya Mustafina (RUS), Marta Pihan-Kulesza (POL) and Göksu Üçtaş Şanlı (TUR) – each cited her as an inspiration. At 43, Oksana is the only active gymnast today who competed under the Soviet flag. Most expected her to join her 1992 Olympic teammates in retirement in the 1990s, but Chusovitina had her own ideas. Seven of her 11 world championships medals were won after she welcomed son Alisher in 1999 (who underwent treatment for leukemia in 2002, plays basketball), including the world title on Vault on 2003 and silver medal in Beijing in 2008. Unfinished business brought Üçtaş Şanlı (28) back to Gymnastics after retiring in 2013, when she married fellow gymnast Özgün Şanlı. The first gymnast to compete for Turkey at the Olympic Games, Üçtaş Şanlı was only able to compete on the Balance Beam in London 2012 because of an elbow injury. The couple welcomed daughter, Lina, in 2015, and Üçtaş Şanlı returned to training in the summer of 2016. For the 31-year-old Pihan-Kulesza, returning to gymnastics was a juggling act after giving birth to daughter Jagda in 2017. Her husband, 2008 Olympian Roman Kulesza, brought Jagda to watch her mum compete in Doha. Alyia Mustafina, now a single mum after a brief marriage, is the youngest gym mum in Doha at 24. The two-time Olympic Uneven Bars champion welcomed her daughter, Alisa, in June 2017, with the full intention of returning for Tokyo. „It was hard to manage everything, the job, maternity and Gymnastics,” says Pihan-Kulesza clutching Jagda, who was given a VIP credential to be with her mum at the Aspire Dome.

Big media presence – The competitions attracted great interest from the press, who arrived in large numbers at Doha. The Media Center was good, but the “press tribune”, situated in one corner of the competition hall, made it difficult to track the competition on the opposite side. About 500 representatives of the written press, photo, radio and TV covered the championships. The issue of national press officers rose again: they are not journalists and have little to do with the media. This category should be transferred to the „delegation composition”. That would solve administrate problems, but also free up a lot of space for real journalists in the press box.

TV coverage also remains problematic. Currently, only finals are broadcast live by the national TV channels or others. That is not beneficial to gain a global audience without showing the qualifiers. In Doha 76 countries were present and the majority and the majority of home audiences were not able to watch their athletes compete if they didn’t make the final. This is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Fore more information:

MAG – FINALS: C51A_StartList,_MenSenC4, C51E_StartList,_MenSenC2 C53B_List_Of_Qualifiers_MenSenC3 C73C_Results_Team_MenSenC4 C73G_Results_MenSenC2 C73I_Floor Exercise_Results_MenSenC3 C73I_Horizontal Bar_Results_MenSenC3 C73I_Parallel Bars_Results_MenSenC3 C73I_Pommel Horse_Results_MenSenC3 C73J_Both_Vault_Results_MenSenC3 C92B_Team_Medallist_MenSenC4

MAG – QUALIFICATIONS: C53A_List_Of_Qualifiers_MenSenC2.pdf C53B_List_Of_Qualifiers_MenSenC3 C53D_List_Of_Qualifiers_MenSenC4 C73C_Results_Team_MenSenC1 C73I_Floor Exercise_Results_MenSenC1 C73I_Horizontal Bar_Results_MenSenC1 C73I_Parallel Bars_Results_MenSenC1 C73I_Pommel Horse_Results_MenSenC1 C73I_Rings_Results_MenSenC1 C73I_Vault_Results_MenSenC1 C73J_Both_Vault_Results_MenSenC1

WAG FINALS: C51A_StartList_WomSenC4.pdf C51F_StartList_WomSenC2 C53C_List_Of_Qualifiers_WomSenC3 C73D_Results_Team_WomSenC4 C73H_Results_WomSenC2 C73I_Balance Beam_Results_WomSenC3 C73I_Floor Exercise_Results_WomSenC3 C73I_Uneven Bars_Results_WomSenC3 C73J_Both_Vault_Results_WomSenC3 C92B_Team_Medallist_WomSenC4

WAG QUALIFICATIONS: C51B_StartList_WomSenC1.pdf C53A_List_Of_Qualifiers_WomSenC2 C53C_List_Of_Qualifiers_WomSenC3 C53D_List_Of_Qualifiers_WomSenC4 C73C_Results_Team_WomSenC1 C73G_All-Around_Individual_Results_WomSenC1 C73I_Balance Beam_Results_WomSenC1 C73I_Floor Exercise_Results_WomSenC1 C73I_Uneven Bars_Results_WomSenC1 C73I_Vault_Results_WomSenC1 C73J_Both_Vault_Results_WomSenC1

Photo: AIPS and FIG