Nora Schuler of THE ALL AROUND has been following the many problems:
The FIG World Cup circuit took another hit just before Christmas when the FIG officially announced the cancellation of the French International in 2012. The competition, scheduled for 17- 18 March, has been a mainstay on the FIG calendar for a long time. …
The reason for the cancellation of the French World Cup is the failure of the FIG to secure the top gymnasts for the competition.
The deadline for definitive entries was the 17 December – and not even half of the top three gymnasts per event would have been represented in Paris. And it gets worse.
… [French federation president] Jacques Rey, deplores the non participation of the best gymnasts from Japan, Russia and the USA who were qualified to the event,” the official FIG statement reads. Translated into plain English: the Uchimuras, Wiebers and Komovas can’t be bothered. Their federations don’t care. …
It’s a gross overreach to blame the athletes, of course. In the Olympic year there are many more important priorities than the World Cup.
Blythe Lawrence has attended that meet the past couple of years. They had 15,000+ spectators last year!
Here’s her take on the rotten Christmas in France:
• Sacre bleu! Paris World Cup cancelled?
• Thomas Bouhail injured, will miss Olympics
Gymnastics Coaching.com 