SPORTS
BEST GYMNASTS JOIN COMPETITION FOR MEDALS
The competitions drew such world gymnastics stars as Irina Chashina (Russia), Anna Bessonova, Natalia Godunko (Ukraine), Inna Zhukova (Belarus), Simona Peicheva, Elizabeth Pisiyeva (Bulgaria), Almudena Sid, Jenifer Kolino (Spain), Aliya Yusupova (Kazakhstan). Azerbaijani gymnasts Dinara Gimatova, Anna Gurbanova and Vafa Huseynova as well as national team consisted of Anna Bitiyeva, Dina Gorina, Valeriya Yegay, Alina Trepina, Anastasia Prosolova and Olesya Olenina will also compete for the medals.
Top officials of the international gymnastics federation led by its president Bruno Grandi and heads of gymnastics federations of all continents arrived in Baku to watch the world championship.
Championship will be followed by the sitting of the executive committee of the international gymnastics to be held October 10-11.
On October 3, the top officials of the international gymnastics federation held a press conference dealing with the 27th world gymnastics championship at the Heydar Aliyev Sport-Concert Complex.
Vice-president of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation Altay Hasanov said that staging such competition shows that Azerbaijan is the sport country.
On the first day of the competition, 150 athletes competed in two groups to define 8 best gymnasts.
In the ball exercises, Russian gymnasts Olga Kapranova, Irina Chashina and Svetlana Putsinskaya took the first three places while Azerbaijani athletes Anna Gurbanova and Dinara Gimatova shared fourth and fifth places.
In the rope exercises, Ukrainian Anna Bessonova and Natalia Godunko took the first two places while Belarussian athlete Inna Zhukova – third place. Bulgarian gymnast Simona Pecheva ranked fourth, while Elizabeth Paisiyeva (Bulgaria) and Lubov Charkatina (Belarus) – fifth and sixth respectively.