COPENHAGEN (Denmark): Denmark has pulled out of hosting the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the sport’s governing body (FIG) announced on Tuesday.
The Danish Gymnastics Federation has informed the FIG of its withdrawal from hosting the 50th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, due to be held in Copenhagen in October 2021.
The FIG Executive Committee (EC) has taken note of this decision and has expressed its regret and disappointment.
The EC will shortly consider all consequences resulting from this situation, including the launch of a new bidding procedure for this event.
The FIG said that there would be a new bidding process for the rights to host the event.
The World Championships are not usually held in an Olympic year, but due to the postponement of the Tokyo Games because of the coronavirus, 2021 will see both the worlds and the Olympics for the first time since 1996.
83rd FIG Congress postponed to October 2021
The 83rd FIG Congress, originally scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey from 23 to 25 October 2020, has been officially postponed until October 2021. It will be held from 29 to 31 October 2021.
The FIG Executive Committee (EC), which met on 7 July by videoconference, took this decision after having consulted the national Gymnastics federations.
The outcome from this consultation, which was sent to all 148 member federations, is that only 6 federations expressed reservations or opinions which differed from the EC’s stance.
FIG President Morinari Watanabe said: “The Congress is the most important event in the democratic life of the International Federation. In view of the massive disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we must accept that the situation is not the same in every country, and must not deprive any federation of the opportunity to make its voice heard at the General Assembly.”
