USA Gymnastics will attend November meet in Japan, roster announced for competition
USA Gymnastics has confirmed it will send a six-person delegation to compete in an FIG official international friendly meet in Tokyo, Japan, on November 8.
In an email to Gymnastics Now, the national governing body said, “USA Gymnastics can confirm that American athletes will take part in the Gymnasts, We Are Ready event, a Nov. 8 friendly competition in Tokyo, Japan with gymnasts from Russia, China, and host-country Japan.”
“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,” the statement continues. “Safety protocols, such as regular COVID-19 testing and private travel and lodging accommodations, are intended to create a “bubble” atmosphere for the event.”
A roarous return to competition
The U.S. delegation will consist of: Paul Juda, Yul Moldauer, Shane Wiskus, Sophia Butler, eMjae Frazier, and Shilese Jones.
Athlete selection for the one-day competition was based on interest from men’s and women’s artistic National Team members.
Other stars on the 32-person competition roster include Kohei Uchimura (JPN), Kazuma Kaya (JPN), Asuka Teramota (JPN), Nikita Nagornyy (RUS), Artur Dalaloyan (RUS), Angelina Melnikova (RUS), and Elena Gerasimova (RUS).
This will be the first competition for any of Team USA’s elite gymnasts since March.
An original concept
While the meet format was previously expected to mimic the team competition for next year’s Tokyo Olympics (four-person teams for each country for both the men and women), the FIG has put a unique spin on this meet that will send a clear message: “Friendship and solidarity shall triumph above all.”
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.
Health and safety come first
As mentioned in USAG’s statement, 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.
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.
AI takes another step into gymnastics
The meet will also offer another opportunity to show the “huge potential of artificial intelligence to reinforce the fairness of judging in gymnastics.”
The Judging Support System developed by Fujitsu Limited will be in use on vault as an additional tool to confirm difficulty scores. This comes one year after its first official use in an FIG competition at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.
“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.”
