Gymnasts from various countries across the continent have arrived in Kigali ahead of the 18th African Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship which kicks at BK Arena in Kigali from April 25 to 26.
A total of 109 athletes will represent 12 countries at the prestigious event taking place in Rwanda for the first place.
Rwanda coach Mariz Farid selected four gymnasts in her final list for the competition. They include skipper Ruth Ntagisanimana, Diane Uwase, Maldadi Stecy Igisigo and Patricia Elisabeth Ueberschar.
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The tournament will serve not only as a riveting competition but also as a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Kigali has been selected as the location for the 18th edition with twelve nations, including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, and Cap-Vert, confirmed to participate in the prestigious competition held at BK Arena.
What’s Rhythmic Gymnastics?
Rhythmic Gymnastics is a sport that involves gymnasts performing routines using five different apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon, and rope.
The sport is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FiG) and has been recognized as a sport since 1963. It became an Olympic sport in 1984, with the individual all-around event.
The group all-around competition was added to the Olympics in 1996. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport.
The rhythmic gymnastics world is a landscape of high-level competition, with the most elite events being the Olympics, World Championships, World Games, European Championships, European Games, World Cup Series, and Grand Prix Series.
Here, gymnasts are evaluated on the fluidity of their movements, the precision of their execution, and the intricacy of their routines, all of which contribute to their overall score.
In 2015, the Rwanda Gymnastics Federation (RGF) was established, bringing artistic, rhythmic, aerobic, and acrobatic gymnastics to the forefront in the country with the NPC gymnasium serving as a hub for these activities.