Gymnastics Worlds Open Amid Controversy

(ATR) Two controversies overshadow the opening of the 42nd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) yesterday rejected North Korea's appeal against a temporary ban after gymnast Hong Su Jong was found to have lied about her age at several global events. The ruling means the country's gymnasts are excluded from the Oct. 16 to 24 competition in the Dutch city.

"The FIG Disciplinary Commission will meet in the near future and will invite the parties to a hearing, before finalizing and delivering its conclusions to the FIG Presidential Commission," FIG said in a statement on Thursday.

The build-up to Saturday's opening of the world champs at Ahoy Arena was also tarnished with the news that the Dutch Gymnastics Federation (KNGU) had kicked out former world champion gymnast Yuri van Gelder over alleged cocaine use.

Van Gelder, the 2005 world champion in the men's rings event, recently returned from a one-year ban for using the recreational drug and was expected to be a contender at the Rotterdam championships.

It was a major embarrassment for the Dutch federation and local organizers.

The KNGU had initially said he was in the squad. But later this week they announced his withdrawal and then tried to soften the impact of Van Gelder's non-appearance in the team, claiming it was "for medical reasons of a personal nature".

Van Gelder today denied using cocaine in the run-in to the championships, but issued a statement saying he had struggled to manage the pressure of expectation on him in the build-up. His fitness had also been called into question after his ban.

The 42nd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships for men and women are significant because the competition serves as a qualifying event for the 2012 London Olympics.

More than 570 gymnasts from 74 countries are competing at the worlds in Rotterdam, which last held them in 1987. Team titles along with individual all-around and eventtitles are up for grabs.

The top 24 countries will book their places at the 2011 worlds in Tokyo, with the top eight nations from that competition guaranteed Olympic berths.

Over 30,000 visitors are expected to attend competition at the Ahoy Arena in the coming nine days.

FIG president Bruno Grandi underlined the importance of the championships for aspiring Olympic gymnasts.

"On one hand, it is an important event of the new Olympic cycle. Rotterdam will confirm a new hierarchy for gymnasts competing in the 2009-2012 Cycle," Grandi said in his welcome address on the official competition website.

"On the other hand, these championships will be a first selection on the way towards the London 2012 gymnastics Olympic competitions.

In the men's competition, China is the team to beat. The Chinese contingent is led by 2008 Olympic men’s rings champion Chen Yibing and 2004 Olympic pommel horse champion Teng Haibin. Japan is leading the pack of challengers for the men's title.

The women’s team competition could be a closer affair, with the USA, China, Romania and Russia doing battles for the medals. USA, the reigning world champions, are led by national champion Rebecca Bross and world all-around champion Bridget Sloan.

In what has been a turbulent week for FIG, federation leaders received some sad news last weekend when it they heard that Valeria Kuzmenko Titova, wife of honorary FIG president Yuri Titov, had died on Oct. 9 in San Francisco after a long fight against cancer.

With reporting from Rotterdam by Mark Bisson