TeamGym News! The TeamGym Newsletter N° 9 - 2018

Dear friends of TeamGym! Welcome to the 9th edition of the TeamGym Newsletter! This is our third newsletter of another busy and exciting year in the development of TeamGym. 2018 culminated in mid-October with the 12th European Championships in Odivelas, Portugal. This event was in many ways a huge success with a record-breaking 52 teams representing 16 UEG member federations. Compared to the event in Iceland 4 years ago we can see an amazing 24% increase in the number of teams.

The venue, Pavilhão Multiusos, was sold-out and those who didn’t manage to get tickets in advance could watch the competition on a big screen in the fan zone just outside the venue or via the live stream and TV broadcast. Thanks to all fans travelling to Odivelas to support their teams!

The unique atmosphere and spirit of TeamGym was supported by the lights and special effect smoke as the teams entered for their performances. 

Many thanks to the Portuguese Federation and the Local Organising Committee for their great work on this event and for improving the format of the competition.

Mixed is becoming very popular

Both the women’s and mixed sections gathered more teams than ever. The mixed section in particular, has attracted many new countries in recent years. Following the on-going discussions in society about gender equity, it is worth mentioning that in TeamGym there is a mixed section with equal numbers of men and women competing together under the same rules.

The level of performance was overall higher in all sections compared to the European Championships two years ago in Maribor (SLO). The Nordic countries still deliver the medal winners, but other countries are catching up fast.

The new Code of Points and judging worked out very well and thanks to the new scoring software from the UEG partner SmartScoring, all judges were for the first time able to submit their individual scores using a tablet. This successfully reduced the time for processing and distribution of results. SmartScoring also introduced an innovative and electrifying way of graphically presenting scores at the end of each rotation.

Relive the qualification rounds and the routines in the finals! Check them out on the UEG’s Youtube Channel:

 

Playlist TeamGym 2018

 

 

In early March this year, we made a presentation about TeamGym at the FIG Executive Committee meeting in Lausanne (SUI). Since then consultations have followed and TeamGym is on the agenda of the FIG Innovation Commission (chaired by the FIG Vice-President, Nellie Kim). A decision has been made to study the possibility of introducing TeamGym within the FIG.

To get to know the discipline more in detail, Nellie Kim travelled to Odivelas for the European Championships this to feel the atmosphere and team(gym) spirit for herself. 

In order to facilitate the development of TeamGym worldwide, it was decided in October to open the 2020 European Championships for all FIG member federations.

The event will take place in Denmark in the Ballerup Super Arena, situated just outside Copenhagen.

Please contact the UEG office to receive any further information about the 2020 European Championships and TeamGym in general.

 

On November 17th - 18th the TC combined one of the regular TC meetings with TeamGym information sessions for the Luxembourg Gymnastics Federation (FLGym). On Saturday afternoon, more than 40 club and federation representatives attended presentations made by the members of the TC. On Sunday morning followed practical sessions in a gym at the National Sports and Culture Centre d'Coque. FLGym had invited the French national men’s team to present their routines on floor, tumble and trampet and two local clubs showed their current floor routines to receive some feedback from the TC. In the end, an open training was offered, and all gathered gymnasts were able to try out the TeamGym apparatus.

We warmly thank FLGym for organizing this event and wish them good luck in starting TeamGym.

This initiative in the city of Luxembourg will be followed by a series of TeamGym meetings and symposiums in 2019.

Photos by Noël VO

 

On December 2nd - 3rd the 82nd FIG Congress was held in Baku (AZE) welcoming delegates from 115 FIG federations. When the whole gymnastics family was gathered at the same time, the UEG took the opportunity to advertise TeamGym. A TeamGym stand was built up in the coffee break area with a screen presenting TeamGym videos. All federations also received an envelope with a letter informing about the Open European Championships 2020 and a USB stick loaded with information and videos presenting the sport.

Max Andersen and Per Sjöstrand from the TC and the UEG Director Lisa Wortmann welcomed interested delegates to the stand and informed them about our sport.

Although, TeamGym was not on the agenda for the Congress, it was mentioned by the FIG President, Morinari Watanabe, in his opening speech and a British TeamGym video was shown. In addition, our UEG President, Farid Gayibov, also brought up TeamGym when he gave his report as head of the European continent.

To conclude, it has been a great year for TeamGym and we are already looking forward to next year with new projects in the pipeline: coaching courses on level 3; workshops/symposiums; and training camps. The TC is now adding the finishing touches to next year’s calendar to be released early next year.

Wishing you all a Prosperous New Year!

 

With my warmest wishes

Per Sjöstrand                                      
TeamGym-TC President