Gymnastics medallists from the Olympic games will be arriving in Birmingham in December to compete in the 12th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final. The event, which is one of the highlights of the international gymnastics calendar, will be staged at the National Indoor Arena from the 11-12 December.
Councillor Nigel Dawkins, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport & Culture says:
‘Birmingham has got an unbeatable track record for hosting successful sporting events and we are looking forward to welcoming the Gymnastics World Cup Final later this year. This event will give local people the chance to see Olympic medallists in action and will increase global
recognition of Birmingham as a world championship city.’
The gymnastics events at the Athens Olympics, which finishes today (Monday 23rd August), have proved to be extremely exciting with dazzling displays from the world’s best gymnasts and Birmingham will see the same quality of
competition at the World Cup Final.
Results at the Olympic Games count towards the world rankings and only the top eight gymnasts on each piece of apparatus will be invited to take part in the Birmingham event. The dynamic format for the Gymnastics World Cup Final means that there are no second chances as the gymnasts compete in straight finals. There is no all round competition, just six apparatus finals for men and four for women.
Britain will have representatives taking part in the event and this should include our best ever gymnast Beth Tweddle. Beth, a world bronze medallist, was ranked second in the world on the asymmetric bars before Athens. Other British gymnasts will also feature as the host nation is given wild cards to allow home grown talent to gain valuable experience in international competition.
Brian Stocks, President of British Gymnastics, the governing body which is jointly organising the World Cup Final with Birmingham City Council, described the event: ‘Now the Olympic programme has come to an end, the
gymnasts will concentrate on qualifying for the World Cup Final in Birmingham. This is an extremely prestigious event. It will be a chance for Athens medallists to prove their worth and for those who missed out to show the world what they can really do.’
Tickets for the Gymnastics World Cup Final are on sale now and start at £8 for adults and £5 for concessions. For more information call 0870 909 4144 or log onto www.british-gymnastics.org/worldcupfinal. A ticket booking fee will be charged per ticket.
The Gymnastics World Cup Final is a FIG (Federation Internationale de Gymnastique) event and is supported by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.
For media enquiries please contact Sarah Guest on 0121 303 4526 or e-mail sarah_guest@birmingham.gov.uk.