Sparse Attendance at Doha 2018 -- Federation Focus

(ATR) The International Gymnastics Federation tellsAround the Rings it is "concerned" about lack of a visible crowd at its 2018 World Championships.

In a statement the federation said that the timing of the competition "upon the wish," of rights holders exacerbated the situation. During broadcasts of the World Championships empty seats in the Aspire Dome were the norm. Journalists covering the event said on social that those in the stands were mostly other athletes, officials, or friends and families.

"The FIG is concerned about the lack of visible spectators at its World Championships in Doha, which is mainly due to the fact, that the competitions are held mostly during the week and in the mid afternoon," an FIG spokesperson said to ATR. "The competition schedules were planned like this upon the wish of the FIG's major rightsholders all over the World.

"Other than the fact that the hall is not sold out, the World Championships in Doha are a great success."

Nancy Armour, a journalist for USA Today in Doha covering the event, said that "part of event is always held during the week; [it has] to be, given the length of it". The 10 day World Championships goes over two weekends, with six days of competition occurring during weekdays.

"The Qatar Gymnastics Federation has done an excellent job with the organization of the World Championships and no major complaints were received from the participating member federations, nor from the competitor," the FIG spokesperson continued.

Team qualification spots for the 2020 Olympics were up for grabs at the World Championships. The top three men’s and women’s teams qualified for the next Olympics through finishes in Doha. The 2019 World Championships will qualify the other nine teams in the men’s and women’s team competition, and begin individual qualifying.

First eSport Championship for Sailing

World Sailing becomes the first international federation on the Olympic program to stage an eSport World Championship. Eight competitors from five countries took part in the Oct. 30 final at the World Sailing Conference in Sarasota.

French entry L1 was the winner on a course set on Sydney Harbor, sailing a J70 keelboat.

The finalists, all accomplished sailors, were among more than 16,200 registered eSailors from 74 countries who began the contest six months ago. More than 80,000 races were held across 60 events.

Details about the 2019 eSailing championship will be released in a few weeks.

Rolex World Sailor of the Year

Hours after the close of the eSailing champs at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, hundreds of delegates to the World Sailing Conference returned for the Rolex Sailor of the Year awards.

Carolijn Brouwer of the Netherlands and Marie Riou from France shared the women’s title. Cypriot sailor Pavlos Kontides was named the men’s winner.

The World Sailing Conference continues through Nov. 4.

World Taekwondo Visits North Korea

A delegation from World Taekwondo numbering 49 is in Pyongyang, North Korea for five days. Led by WT President Chungwon Choue, the visit is part of ongoing rapprochement between the South Korean based federation and the International Taekwondo Federation, quartered in North Korea.

Athletes from both federations will stage a joint performance Nov. 2. A group from WT last visited in April.

"Taekwondo comes from the same root," Choue says about the impact the sport is playing on the two Koreas.

"Taekwondo can bind them closely together and play a key role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Many WT member countries and executives said they are proud of the fact that taekwondo played an important role in improving relations between South and North Koreas. I believe the sport will be remembered by many for its great contribution for peace," said Choue.

Junior Surfing World Championship

The world’s best U-18 surfers are competing this week at the 2018 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Huntington Beach, California.

Records have been set for the number of athletes (361) and the number of countries (44) taking part in the event.

The first repechage rounds were run on Tuesday, as surfers worked to avoid being eliminated from the championships.The double elimination format of the event allows competitors a second chance to advance but the road to the grand final through the repechage is much more difficult than staying in the main event.

To watch a recap of Tuesday’s action, click here.

The 2018 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, which began on October 27, is being streamed live on www.isasurf.org through the end of the competition on November 4.

Written by Ed Hula, Aaron Bauer andGerard Farek

For general comments or questions,click here.

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