Baku prepares to National Gymnastics Championships

Azerbaijan's capital is going to host the 21st National Championships on rhythmic gymnastics on April 12.

The event, which will be held in the Olympic Sports Complex, will bring together 122 individual gymnasts who will be divided into five age categories. Thus, both juniors and those born in 2002-2006 will participate in the championship.

For the first time nine teams will perform simultaneously, competing for medals only in absolute all-around.

Along with the gymnasts of the "Neftchi", "Spartak", and "Sarhadchi" clubs, Baku Gymnastics School, Republican Complex Sports School, the country's Interior Ministry's sports community, athletes of the "Baku Flames" club, Children and Youth Creativity Center, "Shagan" sports complex, and "Ojag" sports club will participate at the event.

The 21st Azerbaijan's Championships on rhythmic gymnastics will also be held in the Baku-based National Gymnastics Arena on April 19.

The competition will bring together 26 gymnasts, both seniors and those who were born in 1999-2001. Gymnasts will compete for medals in both absolute all-around and the individual events.

Azerbaijan's current champion Marina Durunda and her main rivals Lala Yusifova, Gulsum Shafizade, and Nilufar Niftalyeva will also perform at the stage of the Arena which will host the European Championships on Rhythmic Gymnastics on June 13-15.

Thus, this championship will become a kind of test tournament for the European Championships, which will bring together athletes from over 30 countries.

They will be accommodated in the future Olympic Village built for the first European Games 2015, which will be held in Baku.