Japanese star Kohei Uchimura headline the stellar line-up.
DOHA: Trust Qatar to deliver on its promises. After years of meticulous planning and preparation, just one day remains for the 48th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Doha 2018 to open at the world’s biggest indoor sports facility - the Aspire Dome.
With a star cast to that would be hard to ignore, Doha is just hours away from adding another jewel in its sports crown.
Having already hosted the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships and the 2016 UCI Road World Championships, this week’s gymnastics gala should go down as one of the most followed global sports events staged by Qatar.
History will be created when the 9-day event gets under way as it is the first time the Middle East is hosting the mega event. Among the Asian countries, only gymnastics powerhouse China and Japan have had the privilege of hosting this prestigious competition.
Never did 22 World and Olympic champions assemble for a single event before. In all, over 600 gymnasts from 78 countries are taking part in the important event, which serves as the first qualifying event for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Qatar Gymnastic Federation (QGF) President Ali Al Hitmi, who is also Executive Director and Tournament Manager of the Doha Worlds, is confident of delivering the memorable gymnastic fiesta.
American Olympic champion Simone Biles headline the stellar line-up.
“We are ready to stage successful World Championships. We have the infrastructure needed at the highest level, stadiums and modern facilities,” Al Hitmi said in build up of the event.
“We are looking to make it as the best World Championships ever and want to show the world how successful we can be in hosting big events,” he said.
QGF seems to be on track in their bid to make this year’s edition as best ever as the event has lured 2016 Olympic all-around champions Simone Biles (USA) and Kohei Uchimura (Japan), who are leading the stellar line-up.
Reigning champions Morgan Hurd of the USA and Xiao Ruoteng – the Chinese star will also be defending their title.
In addition to the all-around champions from Rio and Montreal, nine of the 10 individual apparatus champions from Rio and seven of the 10 from Montreal are on the roster for Doha.
Elite gymnasts including Olympic Vault champion Ri Se Gwang (South Korea), Aliia Mustafina (Russia), the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Uneven Bars champion and 2013 World champion on Balance Beam in 2013, will also be seen in action.
Qatar’s Jana Elkiky during a practice session at Aspire Dome yesterday.
All of the Rio women’s event champions - Biles on Vault and Floor Exercise, Mustafina on Uneven Bars and Sanne Wevers (NED) on Balance Beam - and five of the six men’s champions - Max Whitlock on Floor Exercise and Pommel Horse; Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) on Still Rings; Ri on Vault and Oleg Verniaiev on Parallel Bars - will be facing rematches in Doha.
On the women’s side, Floor Exercise champion Mai Murakami (JPN), will face tough challenges in defending her title.
All of the reigning champions in the six men’s events from Montreal will be back in Doha: Kenzo Shirai (JPN), who won both Floor Exercise and Vault; Whitlock on Pommel Horse; Petrounias on Still Rings; Zou Jingyuan (CHN) on Parallel Bars; and Tin Srbic (CRO) on Horizontal Bar.
Doha-fan favourite, Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusovitina – the seven-time Olympian – has also returned to Qatar as she promised during this March’s FIG World Cup.
The 43-year-old will be looking to shine at Aspire Dome as she targets her eighth Olympic appearance.
The event is also featuring rising stars of the sport including China’s Chen Yile, the gold medalist in the women’s Aal-around and Balance Beam at the Asian Games, and Britain’s Dominick Cunningham, who won the only gold for the host team at the European Championships in Glasgow, where he won the gold medal on Men’s Floor Exercise.
Qatar Gymnastic Federation President Ali Al Hitmi.
The host country is also fielding three gymnasts - Ahmad Nabil and Ahmed Al Dayani, who will compete with the world champions in all six men’s apparatus events, and Jana Elkiky, who will compete in the floor exercises and pommel in apparatus for women.
The QGF is hoping that it’s relatively inexperienced gymnasts will benefit from competing alongside the big names.
“It’s a very tough event and our gymnasts will learn a lot from this competition,” said Al Hitmi.
“We are not putting pressure on them, all we want from them is they give their best,” the QGF president said.
