More than 600 athletes representing a record 91 countries have registered to compete for Olympic qualification at this year’s Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Glasgow (GBR), signalling that the 2015 Worlds will be the biggest in FIG history.
Draw concluded for 2015 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, likely to be biggest in FIG history
Dave Eaton:
… It seems very unfair that the results of the previous World Championships mean nothing. Two of the 2014 team finalists (Great Britain and Brazil) find themselves in the dreaded first session in Glasgow, whilst an individual from the Bahamas is pitted against the powerhouses of China and Japan!
So here is what we suggest in a bid to get our sport back in the news, back on TV and to make it competitive for all participants; change the World Championships qualifying sessions in to a league format that features relegation and promotion. …
… 6 in a team, 3 compete, 3 scores count. This allows for nations with depth to send a couple of specialists ensuring the best gymnasts on every apparatus are present and also allows small countries to put a team score together. The final qualifying session is the grand finale, the Premier League of gymnastics, with the top 12 countries from last year all vying to win the World Cup trophy (why we don’t already have one is bizarre!) and avoid coming in the bottom 2 places and getting relegated to league 2. …
Here is how the World Championships finished in 2014 and what the results would mean for 2015. (R) = Relegated and (P) = Promoted:
With this league format, yesterday’s draw would not have been required and instead the 2015 World Championships would look like this:
Click through for the details – Future Focus: Reforming World Championships
Gymnastics Coaching.com 