STUTTGART, September 30, 2019 – Having centuries of history behind it, crystallizing as a sport with real influence in society, gymnastics joined forces 116 years ago and organized the first edition of the World Championships. In more than a century, gymnastics underwent a fulminant evolution, becoming a sport with truly global coverage and a large audience, occupying a foreground place in the Olympic Program from the first modern Games of Athens in 1896. At present world gymnastics is near the start of the 49th edition, to be held in Stuttgart (October, 4th – 13th), with the participation of 92 countries and 550 athletes. The final preparations are underway in Stuttgart, where the famed “Hanns-Martin-Schleyer” Hall is ready to host the greatest gymnastics show on earth for a record third time. Germany will host for the fifth time a World Championships edition, previous held in Dortmund (1966, 1994) and Stuttgart (1989, 2007).

HISTORIC CLASH OF TITANS. Undoubtedly, this edition, with two extremely important targets – international glory and qualification at the OG – will be extremely tense, under the weight of great ambition and emotion. The competition in Stuttgart is expected to be another thrilling showdown, according to all observers and commentators. The last nominative roster lists 1499 delegates (Gymnasts, Coaches, Judges, Medical and Paramedical staff, Officials) – of which 550 are athletes in the field (284 men and 257 women) – representing a record 92 nations from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. The number of entries has somersaulted over the previous record of 86 federations at the Glasgow 2015 and the 76 federations at the Doha 2018. All defending champions from last year in Doha are scheduled to be present in Stuttgart: Simone Biles (USA – All-around, Vault, Floor), Nina Derwael (Belgium – Uneven Bars), Liu Tingting (China – Balance Beam), Artur Dalaloyan (RUS – All-around and Floor), Xiao Ruoteng (CHN – Pommel Horse, Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE – Rings), Ri Se-Gwang (PRK – Vault), Zou Jingyuan (CHN – Parallel Bars) and Epke Zonderland (NED – High Bar). Reigning Olympic champion Simone Biles (USA) – with her ultra-difficult routines and two new skills this summer at the U.S. Championships – who won an unprecedented fourth World All-around title in Doha, is expected to mine more gold in Stuttgart. She also set the individual record for gold medals at the World Championships with 14. The holder of 20 World medals, Simone Biles has a chance to become the most decorated gymnast in history as she eyes Belarusian legend Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 23 medals won between 1991-1996.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR DREAMS. Three-time Olympian Marcel Nguyen headlines the German men’s team, which also includes the „Hero de Janeiro” Andreas Toba, who was lauded for his brave performance in Rio, where he seriously injured his knee in the Floor Exercise but delivered a clutch performance on the Pommel Horse to help Germany qualify for the team finals. Reigning Olympic champions Max Whitlock (Floor Exercise and Pommel Horse) and Oleg Verniaiev (Parallel Bars) are also on the roster for Great Britain and Ukraine, respectively. The Chinese men’s team is aiming for a repeat performance in Stuttgart, potentially returning all five members of their 2018 squad: Deng Shudi, Lin Chaopan, Sun Wei, Xiao Ruoteng, and Zou Jingyuan. The Japanese men, who took bronze in Doha and gold in Rio, will count on brothers Wataru Tanigawa and Kakeru Tanigawa in Stuttgart, while the women’s team will rely on two-time Olympian Asuka Teramoto. The competition is marked by a surprise from the Japanese side: for the first time in 12 years, „King” Kohei Uchimura – who from 2009 – 2016 won six world All-around titles and back-to-back Olympic crowns, failed to make the team after struggling in domestic events earlier this year – 11 time world medalist Kenzo Shirai, and 2018 World All-around silver Mai Murakami, all failed to make the world championships team this year after less than stellar results at national competitions. The U.S. women, favourites to win their fifth consecutive world team title, have entered Simone Biles and her 2018 teammates Morgan Hurd – the 2017 World All-around champion – and Grace McCallum. A strong German women’s team boasts world medalists Pauline Schaefer, the 2017 world champion on Balance Beam, and Elisabeth Seitz, the bronze on Uneven Bars in 2018, and Olympic Uneven Bars bronze Sophie Scheder as they aim for more hardware at home.

NEW STAR. The age limit for the 2019 World Championships is 18 (born 2001) or older for men and 16^nbsp; (born 2003) or older for women, and the entry list is packed with first-year seniors expected to make their mark at their first Worlds, including Youth Olympic champion Giorgia Villa and twins Alice and Asia D’Amato (ITA), Qi Qi and Zhang Jin (CHN), Lee and Wong (USA), Amelie Morgan (GBR), Anastasiia Bachynska (UKR). The U.S. women, favourites to win their fifth consecutive world team title, have entered newcomers Sunisa Lee, Leanne Wong and Jordan Chiles.

RUN TO THE OLYMPICS. The second (or not) target of all gymnasts is qualification for the 2020 Olympics. The road to Tokyo is long and very difficult, the qualification system demands constant training and values at a very high level. Therefore, more than 540 gymnasts are in the field, where 14 sets of world medals are on the line. Only the top 24 nations in the men’s and women’s competitions from Doha may send full teams to Stuttgart, while other nations are limited to three individuals in each discipline. Qualification for 2020 Tokyo began last year in Doha (QAT), where the medal-winning teams – China, Russia, Japan (men) and USA, Russia China (women) – are already in Tokyo. But, the fight is just beginning! In Stuttgart, the top nine nations in each discipline (excluding the three already qualified from 2018) will earn team berths to Tokyo. Individuals from countries that do not eventually qualify to send full teams to Tokyo also have a chance to punch their tickets to Tokyo through their performances in Stuttgart. The top 12 male and top 20 female gymnasts in the All-around in Stuttgart’s qualifications will earn berths to Tokyo, with a maximum of one per nation. Any athlete (from a country without a qualified full team, with a maximum of three gymnasts per country for all apparatus) who wins a medal in the apparatus finals in Stuttgart will also qualify for the Olympics. For the 9 available seats those that are in the race with a great chance of obtaining an Olympic qualification, not without much effort, taking into account the other’s competitors, are USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, Brazil, Netherlands, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, France, Korea, Italy (men) or Canada, France, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy (women).

ALWAYS YOUNG… Oksana Chusovitina (UZB), who turned 44 in June, is set to compete in a record 17th World Championships as she aims to qualify for an unprecedented eight Olympic Games. Multiple world champion Marian Dragulescu (ROU), 38, is the eldest competitor on the men’s roster.

TWO GREAT CHAMPIONS, TWO GREAT AMBASSADORS. Catalina Ponor (ROU) – five-time Olympic medalist and for 15 years charmed judges with her elegant style and talent, which has made her a twenty-first-century Gymnastics icon – and Fabian Hambüchen (GER) – gymnast with a full set of Olympics medals, one in each color, as the 2016 Olympic champion, 2012 Olympic silver medalist and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist on the individual horizontal bar event. And all, medalist at the W.Ch. Stuttgart 2007. “First of all, I am really happy and honored to be invited as Ambassador to these World Championships, and I cannot wait to see all the gymnasts that I know, and to support each of them. I miss the Gymnastics family, and I’m sure that the gymnasts will put on a great, beautiful show, and that the event will be well organized. I am also sure that I will see new athletes starting out along the path to become champions… Gymnastics has brought me everything. Gymnastics gave me a huge, beautiful family, it gave me discipline, it gave me the taste of hard-won victory. In short, Gymnastics was my life, and I miss it so much”, Catalina Ponor says. In turn Fabian Hambüchen stated: „I expect an unbelievable atmosphere, a fantastic crowd and great Gymnastics. Everyone will be on fire – it’s the qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and no one wants to miss it. It will be a fair but very hard competition, and I’m really excited to watch the guys pushing themselves to their limits… Believe in yourself and your dreams, always strive to do your best, don’t forget to listen to your body, and most importantly, always be the best version of yourself and give everything you have every day! It’s worth it.”

ICONIC HALL AND GYMNASTIC SHOW. Spirited Stuttgart is no stranger to high level sporting events, and gymnastics has long been associated with the city. The sport takes centre stage each spring as Stuttgart hosts the EnBW-DTB Pokal, a longstanding world cup competition and international team tournament. The Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle is one of Germany’s biggest indoor arenas with maximum seating capacity nearly 15,000. It previously hosted the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 1989 and 2007. Many events will take place during this period, not only in the Hall, but also in the City, events that will make a much appreciated „October fest” of world gymnastics. The Opening ceremony is integrated into the “Salto Mondiale” gymnastics show, created especially for the W.Ch. and it celebrates the global art of body control in a contemporary way. Artists from all over the world present the breath-taking variety of gymnastics: from urban, via street-style, parkour and tricking to classic gymnastics.

PRESS. The host of numerous major events of international gymnastics, Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, has numerous facilities for the press, and the organizers have tried to be at higher level in every respect, with the press’s interest being especially high. At 400 a record number of journalists will be in the Media’s Tribune (written, TV – expecting an audience of millions of viewers, Radio, photo, social media – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and more). But also the means of information at same time being provided daily by the enthusiastic and competent team of FIG and the LOC Media Service via an electronic platform.

Now gymnasts, coaches and officials are arriving from all corners of the globe. The training halls are in full swing as the gymnasts acclimatise to their temporary home in Stuttgart.

Friday, 4. October 2019, at the 9.00 hour, “October fest” show of World Gymnastics begins.

Good luck to everyone!