LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, May 10, 2012: Some 34 Individual Rhythmic gymnasts hailing from 22 different countries have registered to participate at the Véronique de Kristoffy Memorial in Corbeil-Essonnes (FRA) on May 11 – 13, 2012, an FIG World Cup event of the category B.
Debuted in 1972 when it was originally spearheaded by Véronique de Kristoffy, who gave the tournament its name, it was originally held biannually, becoming an annual event from its fourth edition on. The tournament took on greater importance as the number of federations represented steadily grew.
The 38th edition of this event will take place at the Palais des Sports of Corbeil-Essonnes in the southern suburbs of Paris, and will feature an Individual All-around competition and Apparatus Finals. It will be televised by host broadcaster Ma Chaine Sport.
For European gymnasts the tournament will be another important test before their continental championships in Nizhny Novgorod (RUS) on May 30 – June 3. However, with entries from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, and the USA, the Americas will also be well represented as well as Asia with gymnasts from China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Egypt’s Yasmine Rostom is the sole representative from Africa.
Rhythmic powerhouse Russia entered European, World and Olympic Champion Evgenia Kanaeva, who took all titles at the previous edition of this World Cup in Corbeil-Essonnes, 2010 World All-around runner-up Daria Dmitrieva and 2010 Youth Olympic Champion Alexandra Merkulova. Host France features 2011 Bronze medallist on Hoop and Ribbon, Delphine Ledoux, and sixteen year old Kseniya Moustafaeva. With Aliya Garayeva (AZE), Liubou Charkashyna (BLR), Silviya Miteva (BUL) and Anna Alyabyeva (KAZ) fans can look forward to seeing medallists of the 2012 World Cup series perform in Corbeil-Essonnes.
The FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series continues on May 18 – 20 in Tashkent (UZB), the ultimate event prior to the 28th European Championships on May 30 – June 3 in Nizhny Novgorod (RUS).
About the 2012 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series
The 2012 FIG World Cup circuit in Rhythmic Gymnastics includes one Category A event (Sofia) and six Category B events. Apart from Corbeil-Essonnes (Individuals only), all events include both Individual and Group competitions, with All-around competitions serving as qualifiers for the Apparatus Finals.
With stopovers on two continents, the competitions are slated for March 16 – 18 in Kiev (UKR), April 13 – 15 in Pesaro (ITA), April 28 – 29 in Penza (RUS), May 5 – 7 in Sofia (BUL), May 11 – 13 in Corbeil-Essonnes (FRA), May 18 – 20 in Tashkent (UZB) and July 13 – 15 in Minsk (BLR).
The world ranking points collected by competitors at their best four events of the circuit will add up to a total, and the top scorers in each discipline will be crowned the winners of the overall series at the final event in Minsk.
Participation in Category A World Cups is limited to a maximum of two Individual gymnasts and one Group per federation, while invitations are restricted to federations with Individual gymnasts among the top 18 (C I, All-around) and the best 12 Groups from the 2011 World Championships, with an additional wild card for the host country if not represented.
Category B World Cups are open to all FIG member federations. Countries with gymnasts in the top 40 at the 2011 World Championships are entitled to participate with two Individual gymnasts; all other federations are allowed one gymnast only. All federations are entitled to enter one Group. In addition to the places listed above, the current All-around champions of the Olympic Games, World and Continental Championships are invited to both A and B World Cups.
At Category A and B World Cups, both Individuals and Groups, the best eight in the All-around competition qualify for the Apparatus Finals. In the event of failure to qualify, the host federation may participate in one Individual Final of its choice.
The world ranking points collected by competitors at their best four events of the circuit will add up to a total, and the top scorers in the All-around and per Apparatus will be crowned the winners of the overall series at the final event in Minsk.
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