For the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), the 2015 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Glasgow have set a new benchmark for organisers of future Artistic Gymnastics competitions.
When the FIG allocated the major World Championships of the Olympic cycle to British Gymnastics and the city of Glasgow four years ago, it knew its championships were in good hands. But it could not have imagined how far the organising committee would go in its innovation and originality in presenting the event and its stars, the gymnasts.
“These World Championships have been wonderful in every aspect,” enthused Professor Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG, during a press conference before the final day of competition Sunday. “I would like to thank the city, because Gymnastics, this magnificent sport, needs to try to continue to organise competitions in this manner.”
The Glasgow World Championships featured several innovative features designed to engage the crowd while emphasizing the gymnasts’ craft. The use of a giant 20 x 6 meter screen and stage to present gymnasts as they entered the arena before a backdrop of smoke and flames, as well as the placement of the judges above and away from the field of play were among the innovations that contributed to the beauty of the spectacle.
“By presenting them this way, the gymnasts became actors in a grand production,” Grandi said. “It was even better than the Olympic Games, and for this we owe a lot to the Glasgow 2015 Organising Committee. With these World Championships, we have become even more professional in our way of doing things.”
“As an Olympic qualifying event, we wanted this World Championships to be run to the highest of standards so the athletes could feel that they were taking center stage while achieving their goals,” said British Gymnastics CEO Jane Allen. The success of the World Championships owed much to the vision of Colin Hartley, Championships Director of the Glasgow 2015 Worlds, as well as Competition Director Matthew Greenwood.
On a sporting level, the World Championships will be remembered for numerous reasons: In addition to being the first qualifying event for the 2016 Rio Games (the top eight men’s and women’s teams as well as event finalist medallists whose teams do not qualify for the Olympics all to the Games) the Glasgow Worlds have been remarkable for the number of history-making performances.
In Glasgow, Japan’s Kohei Uchimura and American Simone Biles won their sixth and third consecutive World All-around titles, respectively, establishing new records for winning streaks in both Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics. In becoming the first Cuban gymnast to win a medal in the individual All-around competition, Manrique Larduet (silver) carved out his own slice of history, while Max Whitlock (gold on Pommel Horse) also wrote a new chapter for Great Britain as its first-ever World champion in Men’s Gymnastics.
Additionally, the women’s Uneven Bars final, which produced gold medallists Fan Yilin (CHN), Daria Spiridonova (RUS), Viktoria Komova (RUS) and Madison Kocian (RUS), will rest in the annals of gymnastics as one of the most unanticipated results ever produced in world competition.
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