Three World Gymnastics Championships attributed at FIG Executive Committee meeting

The 2017 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships and 2018 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships will be held in Sofia (BUL). The International Gymnastics Federation's (FIG) Executive Committee attributed these two major competitions in the 2017-2020 Olympic cycle to the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation at its trimestral meeting this week in Lausanne.

Bulgaria's capital city already has solid experience in organising important Gymnastics competitions. Most recently, it welcomed the 2013 Trampoline Worlds at the Arena Armeec, the same venue that will host gymnasts in 2017 and 2018. Sofia will be a familiar destination for many Rhythmic competitors, having been a stop on the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup circuit since 2011.

"Bulgaria has a long and historic Gymnastics tradition, especially in Rhythmic Gymnastics, and it is a pleasure to see that the federation continues to take the initiative in organising World Championship competitions," said Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG. "With these two World Championships, Sofia really puts itself on the Gymnastics map for the next Olympic cycle."

Acrobatic Worlds awarded to Antwerp

At the same meeting, the Executive Committee also accorded the 2018 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships to the Belgian Gymnastics Federation and the city of Antwerp.

"Antwerp plays a very important role in the history of Gymnastics: the very first World Championships were held there in 1903," Grandi said. "Also, after the success of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 2013, we are delighted to come back to Antwerp with another discipline."

Unlike World Championships in the Olympic disciplines -- Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline -- which are organised every year except the year of the Olympic Games, World Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics are held only in even-numbered years.

For more information, contact:

FIG Media & Communications Department

mediafig@fig-gymnastics.org

+41 21 321 55 10

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