Good Bye

An exciting time lies behind us. We saw rhythmic gymnastics on a very high level and world-class athletes in Bremen.

Without doubt, the big winners of these championships are the Russians. But we as hosts can be very happy with the results as well. All German athletes reached rankings among the first eight and showed that they can keep up with the world’s elite in this sport. One of them will represent Germany at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore in a few months – and we are sure that she will do a great job.

After the closing ceremony the president of the UEG, Georges Guelzec, expressed his thanks to the organizing comittee and praised the high level of the event. To organize the EC with more than 600 delegation members from 35 nations, about 200 volunteers worked very hard during the last week. For the organizing comittee the planning of the EC took 18 months. The effort was worth it: 9500 spectators came into the Bremen Arena and created a fantastic atmosphere.

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Russia participates at Olympia

Bremen, 18th April 2010, 8.30 pm: Russia won the qualification for the only group place at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), as well. Germany did not participate: Qualification Results YOG Groups

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Again a Russian gymnast on top

Bremen, 18^th April 2010, 7.15 pm: Six gymnasts qualified for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore in August – among them the German Jana Berezko-Marggrander as number two. The Russian Alexandra Merkulova won the competition.

The best six athletes of the complete list can compete in Singapore – but just one per nation. The gymnasts at poorer placement move up automatically.

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European Championships in Artistic Gymnastics in Birmingham (GBR) and in Trampoline in Varna (BUL) are definitively confirmed

The European Union of Gymnastics UEG officially informs that the European Championships (ECh) in Artistic Gymnastics in Birmingham (GBR) and in Trampoline in Varna (BUL) are maintained.

Adjustment measures have been taken. The start of the events in Birmingham and Varna has been delayed by one day, but will end as scheduled initially.

New programme:

-        ECh MAG in Birmingham: start on Thursday, April 22^nd – end on Sunday, April 25^th.

-        ECh Trampoline in Varna: start on Thursday, April 22^nd – end on Saturday, April 24^th.

The European Championships in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics remain as foreseen from Wednesday, April 28^th to Sunday, May 2^nd.

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Russia again number one

Bremen, 18^th April 2010, 2 pm: They won every title at these championships. The Russians were the ones to beat – but no nation could. The apparatus finals just finished and again the Russian group gained both title.

The podium ratings are similar to those yesterday. Belarus became number two in the hoop finals before Italy. Germany again reached a fantastic fourth place.

Reversely, Italy beat Belarus in the finals with ribbons and ropes. Belarus became third and Germany again is number four.

For the German team the championships were very successful. In all disciplines the girls reached a podium place or a rating nearby.

The full list of the apparatus finals you find on this page.

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Today the group champions will be selected

Bremen, 18^th April 2010, 10.30 am: On the last competition day again the senior groups will show their presentations to determine the single champions with five hoops as well as three ribbons and two ropes today. These competitions start at noon. After the German group became number four yesterday we look forward to what the five girls will reach today. The big favourites again are the Russian gymnasts.

In the afternoon, the youngsters will get their chance to show their best. Then the young teams and single athletes compete in the qualification for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in August in Singapore.

Due to the ash cloud over Europe some of the YOG-teams arrived late. So, all YOG qualification competitions have been postponed to the afternoon. Fans of rhythmic gymnastics that want to enjoy the sport in the morning as well, can watch the public training in the hall 1.

Already, the championships are a complete success for the organizers. On Friday about 2500 visitors followed the competitions, yesterday 4000 fans came into the Bremen Arena.

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Two Double-European Junior Champions for Russia

Bremen, 17^th April 2010, 9.45 pm: An eventful day is ending. Now the juniors determined all four European Champions. Yesterday, the Russians Alexandra Merkulova and Valeria Tkachenko won the title with rope and hoop. The German Jana Berezko-Marggrander gained the vice title with the hoop.

Just now, the competitions with ball and clubs ended and again the Russian gymnasts won. Tkachenko is European Junior Champion with clubs, Merkulova with the ball. And again the German Berezko-Marggrander is on the podium, too. She was third with the ball. Number two was Lala Yusifova from Azerbaijan. Merkulova’s team mate Valeria Tkachenko gained the title with clubs before the Belarusian Arina Charopa and Oleksandra Gridasova from the Ukraine. The German Laura Jung became number four.

The lists with results in the disciplines ball and clubs can be found on this website.

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Timetable for Sunday has changed

Bremen, 17^th April 2010, 7.50 pm: Because of the current situation resulting from the eruption on Iceland (the closure of the most European airports) some of the junior groups, who want to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), cannot arrive in Bremen on time. For that reason, the European Union of Gymnastics UEG changed the timetable for tomorrow: The YOG-Qualification for groups will take place after the qualification for individuals.

The delegations will find a new timetable in their post boxes in the competition office as soon as possible.

The start times for the senior groups and the Gala remain unchanged.

Because of the delay, there will be no competition on Sunday morning, but a public training instead. The Bremen Arena and the ticket office open at 9 am as planned.

The complete schedule you find on this website on timetable.

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Russia beats Belarus in national ranking / Germany defends bronze medal

Bremen, 17^th April 2010, 7.15 pm: After the yesterday competitions the national ranking did not change very much. Russia, Belarus and Germany kept their places on the podium. Russia referred Belarus to second place with two number ones in the disciplines ball and clubs today. The Russian gymnast Valeria Tkachenko won with clubs, Alexandra Merkulova gained the first place with the ball.

The German gymnasts Jana Berezko-Marggrander and Laura Jung defended their third place by reaching number three in the discipline ball (Berezko-Merggrander) and number eight with clubs (Jung).

Nonetheless, all of them have to show another performance tonight. The eight best athletes in the nation’s competition compete against each other with ball and clubs again to determine the European Junior Champion.

The lists of the national ranking for ball, clubs and the complete list can be found on this page.

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Senior groups: Russia beats Italy and Belarus / Germany on fourth place

Bremen, 17^th April 2010, 3.15 pm: The Italian group, that is the current World Champion in rhythmic gymnastics, were the favourite of the senior group competition. Finally, they were beaten by the Russian group and became second. The five athletes from Belarus won the bronze medal.

A little sensation caused the German group with a fantastic fourth place. After the restructuring of the group nobody actually knew how the girls would present themselves compared to the international concurrence. With excitement the German fans looked forward to the group’s presentation. The girls proved that they are able to keep up with the best nations. So, the big aim to participate at the Olympic Games in 2012 is in achievable range.

Each group had to compete twice in this competition. They showed a performance with five hoops and one with three ribbons and two ropes.

As usual you find the lists with the single results hoops, single results ribbons and ropes and the complete list on this website.

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Please do not take photos or film during the competitions

For given reasons, we wish to point out that the audience must not take photographs or make films of the competition. For one, the gymnasts could be thrown of ballance by flashes. And secondly, existing license agreements and image rights are violated by this.

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Challenges of today – the German team looks forward to two important competitions

Bremen, 17^th April 2010, 9 am: We passed an exciting first competition day yesterday. The favourite for the title in the all-around finals, the Russian Evgenia Kanaeva, won with brilliance and the German junior team holds place three of the national ranking, after Jana Berezko-Merggrander with the hoop and Laura Jung with the rope showed a very well performance.

Today, they will try to defend this placement, when they start in the competitions with ball and clubs this evening. Furthermore, we look forward to the senior group competitions. The German group, that has been renewed the last months, will face the international concurrence. The groups compete with five hoops as well as three ribbons and two ropes.

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Belarus defends first place in junior competition

Bremen, 16^th April 2010, 11 pm: After the apparatus finals the team Belarus still holds the first place of the national ranking. Russia remains number two. A little sensation caused the German team: In the final competition Jana Berezko-Marggrander won bronze medal with hoop and Laura Jung is number eight with the rope. In all, Germany holds a fantastic third place.

With excitement the German fans look forward to the competitions with ball and clubs tomorrow to see if the German gymnasts can defend their excellent position.

Further results can be found on the ranking list rope, the ranking list hoop and the national ranking list.

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The organizers of the European Championships convened crisis team

Because of the difficult situation at European airports and the current problems of transportation due to the eruption on Iceland and the ash cloud over Europe the organization committee OK convened a crisis team.

“We have to cope with the question, what we will do if the hundreds of athletes and their attendants cannot part on Monday because the flights still are cancelled”, said OK-member Matthias Wiatrek. Currently the partner hotels receive requests to check their capacities for the beginning of the week. Furthermore, the OK is searching for alternative travel opportunities like ferry boats or trains. “We are watching the situation continuously”, Wiatrek said. Furthermore, the crisis team is searching for alternative accommodation, too. Head of the OK, Horst Neumann, also asked the delegations to inform about travel alternatives and act independently.

Because of the today opened European Championships about 600 delegation members from 35 nations are in Bremen. On their first day the competitions had two highlights with the opening ceremony and the performance of the Olympic Champion Evgenia Kanaeva from Russia.

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Evgenia Kanaeva defended her title with brilliance

Bremen, 16^th April 2010, 9.30 pm: Mission “Defence of the title” completed: Top favourite Evgenia Kanaeva from Russia again saved the title as European Champion in rhythmic gymnastics. The 19-year-old took the lead at the beginning of the all-around competition and won clearly with 115.900 points. The Olympic Champion, World Champion and European Champion was free of faults and reached with her performance with the ball a fantastic note of 29.150 points. “I am glad about every title as if it would be the first. Nonetheless, the performance, I showed today, still is increasable. I want to participate at the Olympic Games in 2012 and to get there I still have to work very hard”, the exceptional athlete said after the award ceremony.

Silver medal won her team mate and Vice World Champion Daria Kondakova (19) with 113.725 points. Aliya Garaeva, fifth of the European Championships in 2008 and eighth of the World Championships in 2009, from Azerbaijan won the bronze medal. It was the first medal for her and she was overjoyed.

Melitina Stanjouta from Belarus had very bad luck today. The fourth of the World Championships in 2009 lost her ball during her performance. It bowled down the mat – with that she might have lost the bronze medal. She became number six after her team mate 22-year-old Liubov Charkashina and Neta Rivkin from Israel.

Further rankings can be found on the complete list.

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Starting shot: The UEG president officially opened the 26th European Championships of rhythmic gymnastics

Bremen, 16^th April 2010, 4.15 pm: 14 gymnasts of the organizing sports club Bremen 1860 presented an atmospheric opening with conflagrant rhythms in their “Brazilian Show” at the official opening ceremony of the European Championships.

The 14 girls and young women heated up the audience before the president of the European Union of Gymnastics UEG, Georges Guelzec, declared the Championships open: “I would like to see that the rhythmic gymnasts can show the full art and dynamic of their sport. We will have an excellent spectacle.”

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First interim results: Russia and Belarus number one

Bremen, 16th April 2010, 2.15 pm: The first competitions of the juniors are finished and the results are standing: The competition with the hoop the Belarusian gymnast Natalya Leshchyk is heading the list. The Russian athlete Alexandra Merkulova is number one with the rope. Audience will see them again in the finals this evening.

For now, Belarus heads the national rankings. Russia is second and Germany holds a great third place. Tomorrow, the disciplines ball and clubs will follow. Afterwards, the results will be added and the European Team Champion will be determined.

The complete lists with the results of these disciplines can be found here as pdf-document: 2010-04-16 Results Juniors Hoop, 2010-04-16 Results Juniors Rope. The national rankings you find on this website, too.

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First day of the European Championships – a preview

Bremen, 16^th April 2010, 9.15 am: Bit by bit nervousness spreads among the athletes, who compete at the European Championships of rhythmic gymnastics. Within less than an hour the competitions of the juniors with ball and clubs start in the Bremen Arena. At 3 pm the official opening ceremony with all competing nations takes place. The big highlight of the day follows at 4 pm, when the seniors show their best – among them the current exceptional athlete Evgenia Kanaeva. There is no doubt that the 19 years old Russian will show a performance that is second to none. Whether she can reach the first place, we will learn latest at the award ceremony around 8.30 pm. Afterwards, the juniors get their chance to show their best with rope and hoop. Their award ceremony is expected for 10.15 pm.

You can find a detailed start list online.

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The first big test for the German group

UEG and DTB talking about the importance of the European Championships

Bremen, 15th April 2010: The European Union of Gymnastics UEG and the German Gymnastics Federation DTB did a first step today for the opening of the 26^th European Championships in rhythmic gymnastics. “We look forward to a great competition and are excited to watch the world’s best gymnasts in Bremen”, said the president of the DTB, Rainer Brechtken, during the opening press conference in the Bremen Arena.

Especially for the German team the competition is of big importance, he continued, because the Germans had bad resultants in important competitions the past years and missed qualifications for the Olympic Games. These European Championships mark an important step before the World Championships in France in 2011, where gymnasts qualify for the Olympic Games in London in 2012. For the European Championships, that start tomorrow, all hope for an Olympic qualification of the Germans are pinned to the German group. So, expectations are placed on the small shoulders of Sara Radman, Camilla Pfeffer, Cathrin Puhl, Mira Bimperling and Regina Sergeeva. For them the championships are the first big test. The group has been renewed last year.

In all, 147 senior gymnasts from 33 associations and 133 juniors from 32 associations will compete in the championships. Especially for the juniors the European Championships are of further importance as the president of the UEG, Georges Guelzec, explained: “For the first time there will be Junior Olympic Games this year and immediately after the European Championships the qualification for this Olympic Games will take place.” He emphasized as well that of the 47 member associations of the UEG only one group and six single gymnasts of 15 years can qualify for the Junior Olympic Games in Singapore in August. So, on Sunday there will be exciting competitions, too.