With the love for gymnastics growing in Azerbaijan following the Russian invasion putting them on the map and with the sport’s successful showing at the European Games last summer, Baku is now one of the host cities for the popular FIG World Challenge Cup series, which kicks off February 19.
The challenge cups feature both MAG and WAG competitors from around the world competing on individual events only, with qualifications held followed by the top eight on each event qualifying into finals. In Baku, 21 women and 46 men will contend for titles and prize money while getting valuable experience as they continue to prepare for the Olympic Games. Following Baku, additional challenge cups will be held in Qatar and Germany in March, Slovenia and Croatia in April, Bulgaria and Brazil in May, and Portugal in June.
The host country will feature all four of its elite women, including Yuliya Inshina, Marina Nekrasova, Kristina Pravdina, and Mariia Smirnova, all of whom are hoping to get the one individual spot available to them at the Rio Test Event in April. On the men’s side, the super popular Oleg Stepko is bound to be a big draw for fans, especially after taking home a worlds bronze medal in Glasgow last year.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade will make her return to the sport on bars at Baku, joined by fellow Olympic hopeful and test event teammate Flavia Saraiva. Six-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina will represent Uzbekistan, joined by other veteran favorites including Dorina Boczogo of Hungary and Tjasa Kysselef of Slovenia.
The young Israeli Tzuf Feldon, known for her impressive work on beam last season, will also attend, as will fellow 2015 worlds competitors Lisa Ecker and Elisa Hämmerle of Austria, Emma Larsson of Sweden, Dilnoza Abdusalimova of Uzbekistan, and Ekin Morova, Demet Mutlu, and the powerful Tutya Yilmaz of Turkey.
Finally, we’ll also be treated to the senior debuts of Florine Harder and Lina Philipp of Germany as well as Lara Omahen and Lana Voler of Slovenia.
A full list of MAG and WAG participants is below. For more information, visit our coverage guide.
| AUSTRIA | |
| Lisa Ecker (AA) Elisa Hämmerle (AA) |
|
| AZERBAIJAN | |
| Petro Pakhnyuk Oleg Stepko |
Yuliya Inshina (BB-FX) Marina Nekrasova (AA) Kristina Pravdina (UB) Mariia Smirnova (VT) |
| BELGIUM | |
| Maxime Gentges | |
| BRAZIL | |
Flavia Saraiva (UB-BB-FX) |
|
| CANADA | |
| Kevin Lytwyn Scott Morgan Jackson Payne |
|
| CROATIA | |
| Andrej Korosteljev Tomislav Markovic Renato Prpic Robert Seligman Tin Srbic |
|
| GERMANY | |
| Marcel Nguyen | Florine Harder (AA) Lina Philipp (AA) |
| HUNGARY | |
| Dorina Boczogo (AA) | |
| IRAN | |
| Saeed Reza Keikha | |
| ISRAEL | |
| Artem Dolgopyat Eyal Glazer Andrey Medvedev Alexander Shatilov Moran Yanuka |
Tzuf Feldon (AA) |
| JAPAN | |
| Tomomasa Hasegawa Naoto Hayasaka Kazuma Kaya Kenzo Shirai |
|
| LATVIA | |
| Vitalijs Kardasovs Dmitrijs Trefilovs |
|
| NORWAY | |
| Marcus Conradi Pietro Giachino Odin Martin Dessard Kalvo Stian Skjerahaug |
|
| SLOVENIA | |
| Luka Kisek Rok Klavora Ziga Silc |
Tjasa Kysselef (VT-BB) Lara Omahen (UB-BB-FX) Lana Voler (VT-UB-FX) |
| SPAIN | |
| Nestor Abad Ruben Lopez Andres Martin Adria Vera |
|
| SWEDEN | |
| Emma Larsson (AA) | |
| TURKEY | |
| Ferhat Arican Ibrahim Colak Ahmet Onder Umit Samiloglu |
Ekin Morova (VT-FX) Demet Mutlu (UB) Tutya Yilmaz (UB-BB-FX) |
| UKRAINE | |
| Volodymyr Hrybuk Vladyslav Hryko Anton Olivson Oleksandr Petrenko Maksym Semiankiv Illia Yehorov |
Yana Horokhova (UB-BB-FX) |
| UZBEKISTAN | |
| Eduard Shaulov | Dilnoza Abdusalimova (AA) Oksana Chusovitina (AA) |
Article by Lauren Hopkins
