European Gymnastics reschedules 2020 Euros, clarifies Olympic qualification places
In light of the current COVID-19 situation across Europe, the European Gymnastics Executive Committee has agreed to move forward with rescheduling the 2020 European Championships for later this year.
The European Championships in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from December 9-12, 2020, followed by Women’s Artistic Gymnastics from December 17-20, 2020. Rhythmic Gymnastics Europeans will be held in Kyiv, Ukraine, from November 26-29, 2020.
Per European Gymnastics, the competition format remains the same as originally planned, including the Olympic qualification places up for grabs, despite the fact that 2021 Europeans are set to be held just four months later and closer to the Tokyo Games.
“These decisions were taken with the current information available from our National Federations and the situation in Europe as it is now,” European Gymnastics President Farid Gayibov said on Thursday. “At the moment, we think that it is possible to organise these events in autumn. However, European Gymnastics will continue to evaluate the situation during the next months. Should the situation at a later date not be considered safe enough anymore, we will react accordingly. The health of the gymnasts, coaches, spectators remains our main concern.”
The decision to continue to have the 2020 championships count toward Olympic qualification instead of the 2021 championships particularly impacts current juniors who will become seniors at the start of 2021. Despite now being eligible for the Tokyo Games, those athletes will not be eligible for this qualification opportunity.
