International Gymnastics Federation – Lausanne (SUI), FIG Office, Sept. 13, 2017:

As the Olympic Stadium in Montreal prepares to welcome the 2017 World Championships from 2–8 October, Wednesday, September 13, marked an important moment for the athletes as the day the draw that determines the starting order for the competition was held.

This draw, the results of which can be found here, was held at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) headquarters in Lausanne in the presence of Donatella Sacchi, President of the FIG Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee, and Jani Tanskanen, the Athlete Representative for Men’s Artistic Gymnastics.

“The elite of Artistic Gymnastics is coming back to Montreal, the city of the 1976 Olympic Games and 1985 World Championships. This draw is the first step on the road to Montreal, launching the countdown,” said Donatella Sacchi. “All participating nations eagerly await the results. Coaches will thereby be able to plan training sessions accordingly, especially for those who will be coming from far away, so they can adapt to the time difference and everyone will arrive well prepared.”

“We are starting a new Olympic cycle and the champions crowned here will probably be seen again at the Tokyo 2020 Games. This draw is the informal beginning of the Worlds and lifts the enthusiasm among the Gymnastics fans who are impatiently anticipating the kickoff,” commentedArturs Mickevics, President of the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee.

These World Championships are all the more action-packed for how they will combine different generations. On the men’s side, Kohei Uchimura (JPN), the absolute master of the All-around competition since 2009 with six World titles and the last two Olympic golds, will attempt to extend his extraordinary run, pushing his record for consecutive titles even further.

Several other Olympic and World champions will be present in Montreal, including Oleg Verniaiev (UKR), Max Whitlock (GBR), Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE), Kenzo Shirai (JPN), Epke Zonderland (NED), Arthur Zanetti (BRA), Yang Hak-seon (KOR), Marian Dragulescu (ROU), Denis Abliazin (RUS) and Zhang Chenglong (CHN).

For the women, with American Simone Biles, the queen of the Rio Olympic Games, taking a break from competition this year, a new World champion will emerge in the individual all-around.

Other Olympic champions will be there, too: Among them, Sanne Wevers (NED), who won the Beam title in Rio, Catalina Ponor (ROU), the triple Olympic gold medalist from 2004, and Oksana Chusovitina (UZB), still among the elite 25 years after her Olympic team title in Barcelona in 1992.

This year for first time, the World Championships will feature Gymnastics Ambassadors. The winners of the individual all-around will have the honour of receiving their gold medals from the hands of Nadia Comaneci, the queen of the 1976 Olympic Games, who is also the official spokesperson of the event, and Kyle Shewfelt, the only Canadian to have been crowned Olympic champion in Artistic Gymnastics (gold on Floor at the 2004 Olympic Games).

For more about the 47th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, please visit the FIG and event websites.

About the FIG: The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: Gymnastics for All, Men’s Artistic, Women’s Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Aerobic and Acrobatic. It counts 148 national member federations and boasts a 30-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne (SUI), home of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Contact Information:

FIG Media & Communications Department 
mediafig@fig-gymnastics.org