Presentation of the analysis of the ECh in Milan, ITA 2009

In the last years, the UEG Men’s Technical Committee (MTC/UEG) has been publishing the results of the analysis of the ECh on Internet.

The analysis gives total overview of the contents of all performances presented by the gymnasts during the ECh.

The MTC/UEG hopes that these analyses will support the national federations, coaches and gymnasts in their development, and help them making the proper decisions and choices.

A great thanks to our Technical Assistants, who did a huge work during the Championships, and for their work which provides us with these necessary data.

The MTC/UEG wants to pay tribute to Mr. Claus Haller (MTC/UEG Vice President), who so sadly passed away, right after the Championships.
As so many of the MTC/UEG activities, this standardised report system was one of his ideas. In his spirit, the MTC/UEG will continue to develop this report system.

Tom Thingvold
MTC / UEG member

Milan – small report for a big media success

More than 250 accredited journalists and photographers, 15 TV channels have covered, live, the 3rd Artistic individual EC in Milano. Some 24’000 spectators attended the competition during four days.

The press tribune was more than full - hundreds of professional journalists, in the tight rows of the grand stand, followed the competitions continuously from the press tribune - a quite rare and noteworthy fact. Other media writers and correspondents had taken their place in the additional seats. Whereas around sixty photographers occupied the corridors which was reserved for them on three sides of the competition hall. RAI, the host broadcaster and producer of the TV images, had set up 23 (!) cameras for the competitions. 9 TV channels with an on-site commentator and 5 TV channels with commentary from the studio, have covered, live, this event.

Others, also from outside Europe, have broadcasted the event in a delayed report or as highlights.

Let us have an other short review of the competition in order to have a small summary with some figures.

Distribution of the medals (medal table can be downloaded under the result section)

Women’s competition:

7 countries have won one or more of the 15 medals. Great Britain is in the lead with 2 gold medals, but Russia is the country that won the highest number of medals (1 gold / 3 silver / 1 bronze), followed by Ukraine (1/-/1), Switzerland (1-0-0), Romania (0/1/1), Italy (0/1/0) and Germany (0/0/1).

Russia seems to have found a very promising trio with Ksenia Semenova, Ksenia Afanaseva and Julia Berger. Great Britain is not only counting on the high class of Elizabeth Tweddle – with Rebecca Downie they also have a clear talent. The two historic medals (gold on vault and bronze in the all-round competition) of Ariella Kaeslin raised a huge media interest in the four corners of Switzerland.
Although Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) was unable to defend her title, she showed a tremendous courage to compete after several weeks of break due to an injury. Her program on floor (silver) delighted all spectators. The new Ukrainian team seems to have well digested the departure of Alina Kozich by winning two medals. For the rest, we must admit that the level of the women’s competition was medium, especially in the qualifications, though it does not at all put into question the qualities of the numerous young girls who represent the new generation for the London 2012 Games.

Men’s competition:

12 countries shared the 22 medals at steak (2 bronze medals on floor). Germany was the big winner of the men’s championships with 5 medals including two gold medals (1 silver, 2 bronze) thanks to the performances of Fabian Hambüchen and Matthias Fahrig. France follows with two titles and a silver medal. Greece, Hungary and the Netherlands have also won a title each. Russia has won only one medal (bronze) as have Israel and Bulgaria.

Fabian Hambüchen, though not qualified for the bar final, proved that he has several strings on his bow and, more importantly, a great mental strength. A great European Champion! Great Britain has the chance to have three top gymnasts: Louis Smith, Daniel Keatings and Daniel Purvis will no doubt arrive very far. Ukraine has also renewed its team and straightaway succeeds to win 2 medals thanks to Alexander Vorobyov and Nikolai Kuksenkov. If the men’s competitions have all been of a very good level, it is perhaps also due to a quite high average age of the competitors, whose experience prevailed over the talent of the young ones.

Ranking of the countries: GER 5 medals (2/1/2), FRA 3 (2/1/0), GBR 3 (0/2/1), GRE 2 (1/0/1) UKR 2 (0/1/1), HUN (1/0/0), NED (1/0/0), ROU (0/1/0), SLO (0/1/0), BUL (0/0/1), ISR (0/01) et RUS (0/0/1).

Next European Championships (EC):

WAG and MAG teams, juniors and seniors, will run their EC in Birmingham, 2010.

April 20th - to 27th: men's competition

April 27th - to Mai 2nd: womens competition

D. Duchoud / UEG

3rd European artistic gymnastic individual Championships in Milan / ITA

The UEG has attributed the 3rd European artistic gymnastic individual Championships to the Italian Federation of Gymnastics (FGI). The latter has entrusted the organization to the city of Milan. These Championships will be held April 2nd to 5th, 2009 in the beautiful sports hall “the Datch Forum” in Milan.

According to the invitation sent out to the national federations, the programme includes men’s and women’s gymnastics:

Competition I	qualification
Competition II	individual all-around final
Competition III	apparatus finals

6 men’s gymnasts and 4 women’s gymnasts per federation are allowed to participate.
The minimum age is 16 years (born 1993 or in former years)
The UEG Director/CEO, Manfred Kucht, has recently participated in meetings with representatives of the FGI, the local organizing committee with its president Graziella Pasquinelli Candiani and the Italian television RAI, host broadcaster of these championships.

Provisional registrations:
After the deadline fixed for the provisional registrations, 40 national federations (NF) have already announced their participation in the men’s competitions (198 gymnasts). There will be 35 NF with 135 gymnasts in the women’s competitions.

Definitive registrations:	09.01.2009
Nominative registration:	12.03.2009

Provisional programme:

Thursday, April 2nd: Friday, April 3rd: Saturday, April 4th: Sunday, April 5th:

competition I women competition I men competition II women and men competition III women and men

Organising Committee
Via Ovada 4 - 20133 Milano (MI)
Tel.: +39 02.89124772
Fax: +39 02.89180235
E-mail: segreteria@euro2009.it
www.euro2009.it

3rd ECh artistic gymnastics in Milan – everything is ready

The 3rd European Championships in artistic gymnastics will begin In 6 days. 237 gymnasts representing 38 countries will compete in the beautiful Forum Mediolanum in Milano-Assagno from April 2nd to 5th.

The 3rd European individual Championships in artistic gymnastics will open the year for Milano – 2009 European capital of sport. The last important news were given at the national press conference, in which very many journalists participated. Representatives of the Italian Gymnastics Federation, the local organizing committee, the government of the Lombardy and the town as well as of the National Olympic Committee presented this event, the like of it was not organized in Italy since 1981 in Rome.

Among the 237 athletes from 38 federations are several medallists of the Beijing Olympic Games and the European title holders; in particular in the men’s events, the competition will be quite hard. The French Thomas Bouhail, silver medallist vault and Benoît Caranobe, bronze medallist of the all around competition, the German Hambüchen, bronze medallist on high bar, the Russian Anton Golotsutskov, bronze medallist floor and vault, Oleksander Vorobiov / UKR, bronze medallist on rings and the British gymnast Louis Smith, bronze medallist on pommel horse can realize their ambitions at this first important rendezvous after Beijing, without forgetting the multiple medallist and title holder Jordan Jovtchev / BUL.

The Italian team will be complete with Igor Cassina, Andrea Coppolino, Matteo Morandi, Matteo Angioletti, Alberti Busnari and Enrico Pozzo and each one of them can hope for a title or a medal. It will be a great atmosphere in the Forum Mediolanum!The Slovenian Federation has informed that Aljaz Pegan will not compete and Croatia will be without its Lausanne medallists, Filip Ude and Robert Seligman.

In the women’s competition, the attention of the spectators will be turned towards the Romanian Sandra Izbasa, Olympic champion on floor, as well as towards Elisabeth Tweddle / GBR, world and European champion. Switzerland will try to realize its ambition to win a first medal, even a first title on vault. Ariella Kaeslin, 5th at the games and 2nd at the World Cup final in Madrid last December has recently won in Cottbus and can hope for victory as in particular the German Oksana Chusovitina (injured) is absent as the Italian gymnasts Giovannini and Benolli who were too strong for her last year in Clermont Ferrand.

Tickets are still available

The spectators in Milan, the Lombardy and surroundings followed with enthusiasm the invitation of the organisers. Until now, more than 20’000 tickets were sold for the 4 days lasting competition. Tickets can be ordered via « Ticket One www.ticketone.it », « Ticket Web www.ticketweb.it » as well as at the office of the LOC (+3902/89124772) or at the Mediolanum. Please be aware that there are not many tickets left for the finals on Saturday and Sunday.

Title holders 2007 in Amsterdam

Men Competition II – all around individual competition
1st Maxim Deviatovski / RUS (is not in Milan)
2nd Hambüchen / GER
3rd Ryazanov Yuri / RUS

Apparatus finals

Floor - Martinez Rafael / ESP (is not in Milan)

Pommel horse - Berki Kristian / HUN

Rings - Vorobyov Olexander / UKR

Vault - Golotsutskov Anton / RUS

P. Bars -Petkovsek Mitja / SLO

High bar - Hambüchen Fabian / GER

Title winners 2008 Lausanne

Floor - Golotsutskov Anton / RUS

Pommel horse - Berki Kristian / HUN

Rings - Van Gelder Yuri / NED

Vault - Blanik Leszek / POL

P. bars - Petkovsek Mitja / SLO

High bar - Hambüchen Fabian / GER

Other top gymnasts

Yann Cucherat / FRA,

Danny Rodrigues / FRA,

Epke Zonderland / NED,

Jeffrey Wammes / NED,

Truyens Donna Donny / BEL,

Dimosthenis Tampakos / GRE

2007 Amsterdam

Women Competition II – all around individual competition
1st Ferrari Vanessa / ITA (is not in Milan)
2nd Izbasa Sandra / ROU
3rd Kozich Alina / UKR (is not in Milan)

Apparatus finals

Vault - Carlotta Giovannini / ITA (is not in Milan)

Uneven bars - Dariya Zgoba / UKR (is not in Milan)

Beam - Yulia Lozheko / RUS (is not in Milan)

Floor - Vanessa Ferrari / ITA (is not in Milan)

Title winners 2008 Clermont Ferrand

Vault - Chusovitina Oksana / GER (is not in Milan)

Uneven bars - Semenova Ksenia / RUS

Beam - Semenova Ksenia / RUS

Floor - Izbasa Sandra / ROU

Other top gymnasts

Aagje Van Walleghem / BEL, Jana Komrskova / CZE, Marine Petit and Youna Dufournet / FRA, Anja Brinker / GER, Lia Parolari / ITA, Anamaria Tamirjan / ROU, Ksenia Afanasyeva / RUS

EC artistic gymnastics in Milano: without Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) and Maxim Deviatovski RUS

150 men from 36 countries and 87 women from 32 federation will compete from April 2nd to April 5th. The federation have now announced their nominative list. Both individual champions 2007 will not compete.

When reading the nominative entries, one can see that the men’s competitions will be very interesting. Most of the medallists of the ECh 2007 Amsterdam and/or the OG Beijing 2008 will be present. In particular France, Great-Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia will come with their best gymnasts. Maxim Deviatovsky RUS, current European champion in all-around, will not defend his title.

However with regard to the women, there are quite many changes, respectively new gymnasts. Russia will be represented with the double gold medalist 2008, Ksenia Semenova. France has entered Marine Petit and especially Youna Dufournet, who dominated the 2008 junior Championships in Clermont-Ferrand. Romania still counts on experienced Sandra Izbasa and Annamaria Tamirjan. Elizabeth Tweddle (GBR, bars and floor) and Ariella Kaeslin (SUI, vault) will also try to win a medal. Vanessa Ferrari will unfortunately be absent; she had to cease her training due to recurrent physical problems. The 2007 all around European Champion will not be able to compete in front of her public.

The world ... at the European Championships

As at the beginning of each new Olympic cycle, the European Championships will be a “test” for the new code of points MAG and WAG, not only for the gymnasts and their coaches but also for the judges. These competitions will therefore be in the centre of attention of numerous observers coming from all over the world. As a matter of fact, announced are delegations from Japan (Tokyo), the USA, Canada, Qatar and Cameroon. Delegations from Birmingham (ECh 2010) and Finland (candidate 2013) will observe the general organisation of these championships.

D.Duchoud/UEG

Milan capital of sport and gymnastics 2009

The official kick off of the 3^rd individual European Championships in men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics was given on January 15^th 2009 at the occasion of the first official press conference.

It was in presence of a lot of personalities from politics, gymnastics and the press that the first press conference of the 3^rd Individual European Championships in artistic gymnastics, taking place from April 2^nd to 5^th in Milan, was held at the Palazzo Marino. The continental event was officially presented by the delegates of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan, the Italian Gymnastics Federation as well as by the organising committee chaired by Graziella Pasquinelli Candiani. Milan, the capital of Lombardy, had been designated "European Capital of Sport 2009" by the European Capitals of Sport Association (www.aces-europa.eu).

This sport event represented by the 3^rd Individual ECh in artistic gymnastics is qualified as very prestigious, as it will bring together a dozen medallists of the O.G. of Beijing as well as some forty finalists. Only the medallists from China, from U.S.A and from Japan will of course be absent. Since 20 years Italy hasn’t organised European Championships in artistic gymnastics. This year 40 countries with some 300 athletes will come together in the Lombard capital.

For the president of the Italian Gymnastics federation, Riccardo Agabio, “this event will be for us the very important moment of the beginning of the new Olympic cycle. We will be professional at all level”.

Some 300 volunteers will be at disposal of the organising committee.

The Organising committee has already put up for sale the subscription for 5 days as well as the individual tickets under www.euro2009.it or www.ticketone.it. To date, more than 1000 seats have already been sold.

More than 200 media representatives and some fifteen televisions will cover this event. The finals of April 4^th and 5^th will be broadcasted live by R.A.I with the newest technical means.

Media accreditation:
on the website www.ueg-gymnastics.com only. Deadline: March 15th 2009

Next dates to be remembered:
- Monday, February 2^nd – drawing of lots of the starting orders in Milan.
- March 12^th 2009: last deadline for the nominative inscriptions

D. Duchoud/UEG

3rd European artistic gymnastics individual Championships in Milan 2009 – definitive registration

The received definitive registration confirm the numbers of the provisional inscriptions. 40 national federations (NF) with a total of 294 gymnasts will compete in Milan from April 2nd to 5th 2009.

39 NF will be represented in the men’s competitions with a total of 177 competitors. 35 NF with 117 gymnasts will participate in the women’s competitions.

Detailes figures for the men's competition:
22 NF with the max. quota of 6 gymnasts
1 NF with 5
6 NF with 4
1 NF with 3
4 NF with 2
5 NF with 1 gymnast.

Women's competition:
20 NF with the max. quota of 4 gymnasts
8 NF with 3
6 NF with 2
1 NF with 1

Since January 1st, the competition hall complex of the Datch Forum was renamed MediolanumForum, according to an agreement which was concluded with Mediolanum.

Thursday, January 15th the first official press conference will take place in Milan, giving the kick off for the 3rd artistic gymnastics individual ECh. The conference will take place in the Palazzo Marino in Milan at 12.00 o’clock.

On February 2nd, 2009 the drawing of lots will take place during a meeting of the men’s and women’s technical committee and the OC in Milan.

The deadline of the nominative inscription is March 12th, 2009.

General Programme:

Thursday, April 2nd: C I WAG
Friday, April 3rd: C I MAG
Saturday, April 4th: C II WAG and MAG
Sunday, April 5th: C III WAG and MAG

Information:

Internet: www.euro2009.it
E-Mail: segreteriaeuro2009.it

D. Duchoud/UEG