FIG Friendship and Solidarity competition: Tentative roster, schedule revealed

With all invited countries a go and less than three weeks until the FIG Friendship and Solidarity competition is set to kickoff in Tokyo, a tentative roster is making its way around the gymternet of which 32 athletes will be competing in the unique event.

Per Lajos Sovago (@lsovi) on Twitter, as of October 14, the following roster of 32 athletes will compete against one another in an effort to send a clear message in tumultuous times: “Friendship and solidarity shall triumph above all.”

According to Sovago, the competition will take place at Daiichi Gymnasium in Yoyogi Arena on Sunday, November 8. The opening ceremony will start at 12:40 p.m. JST (Saturday, November 7 at 10:40 p.m. EST), with the main competition taking place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. JST (11 p.m. to 2 a.m. EST).

The meet will be live broadcast on Japan’s CS Tele Morning Channel 2 at this link. Whether other participating countries like the U.S. will have a live stream of their own has yet to be announced.

This will be the first competition for any of Team USA’s elite gymnasts since March.

Instead of a country vs. country format, the competition will see two mixed teams compete–Team Friendship and Team Solidarity. Each team is made up of 8 female and 8 male athletes, but per the FIG, “their nationality does not matter.”

The teams’ composition are “balanced in gender and national representation.”

Coaches from each federation will split the gymnasts into two teams. All gymnasts can compete on all apparatus, with the top three scores on each apparatus for the men and the top three scores for the women counting toward their team’s total.

The event is a one-day team competition only. There will be no all-around or event rankings.

Strict medical protocol and procedures will be followed by all participating delegations, complying with Japanese regulations and the Medical Guidelines for FIG Competitions and Events During the COVID-19 Pandemic that the FIG recently announced.

“All participants will follow strict medical guidelines based on those that were approved in September by the International Gymnastics Federation’s Executive Committee and reviewed by the USA Gymnastics medical staff,” USA Gymnastics said. “Safety protocols, such as regular COVID-19 testing and private travel and lodging accommodations, are intended to create a “bubble” atmosphere for the event.”

Athletes and officials will undergo daily testing and be restricted to the venue, training hall, and their hotels.

A crowd of approximately 2,000 will be on hand to witness the meet.

“This is a competition of hope. Friendship and solidarity will lead us towards better days,” said FIG President Morinari Watanabe.

“Gymnastics will once again light up the Olympic Games in Japan next year. After a challenging period, we are delighted to bring Gymnastics back to the Japanese public by welcoming many of our stars to Tokyo and giving them the chance for an innovative competition on a global stage.”

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