US nationwide gymnastics groups are going through more difficult roster choices than standard forward of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
That’s since the Olympic gymnastics roster is contracting for the 3rd time within the ultimate 4 Olympics. As a consequence, best 4 males and 4 ladies would qualify for crew competitions on the Summer Games, and this might result in tough ultimate cuts prior to the development.
The United States ladies’s crew might be in particular confronted with the method of reducing hair. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles is a shoo-in for the crew as she has now not misplaced a contest since 2013. Jordan Chills, Suni Lee and Jade Carey all have a superb opportunity of constructing it too.
However, this week’s Team USA gymnastics qualifiers will see plenty of different competition take at the problem. They come with Emma Malabuyo, Leanne Wong, Grace McCallum, Skye Blakely, Mykayla Skinner and Kara Ecker. In a standard 12 months, a minimum of the sort of ladies makes the crew, however with best 4 crew spots to be had, they are able to be squeezed – or driven into an alternative position.
Why did the Olympics make a decision to scale back the gymnastics roster for the Tokyo Olympics from 5 to 4? And do the organizers plan to proceed the follow? Here’s what took place and the way and why concerning the debatable choice.
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Why had been Olympic gymnastics groups downsized?
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) authorized a discount within the Olympic gymnastics crew roster in May 2015. Bruno Grandi, then president of FIG, scored two targets in making the exchange, in line with Liz Clark of The Washington Post.
At first, Grandi sought after to emphasise all performers in gymnastics as a result of he felt that the sport was once “moving heavily toward specialists” who focal point on excelling in a single space. Second, Grandi believed that lowering the scale of groups would permit smaller international locations to compete with better international locations that historically have extra intensity.
Dissidents, together with US ladies’s nationwide crew coordinator Martha Karolyi, argued that one of the most international’s very best gymnasts would now not make the reduce because of the guideline exchange.
According to NBC Sports, Karolyi stated, “It will hurt the spectacle, what gymnasts can provide for the entire world, and eliminate some of the strongest gymnasts in our country.” Even when the crew was once six years outdated we needed to depart the home. one thing sturdy. I utterly do not really feel like I’m actually satisfied about it, however choices might be made, and we will be there with any choice. That’s what we now have executed previously, although one thing does not sound highly intelligent or nice, however as soon as the foundations are set for us, we will move with it. “
Grandi had a lot of power in the gymnastics world in 2015, so she was able to push the changes and implement them for the Tokyo Olympics. The decision was approved with a vote of 29-7.
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Why do some countries get extra Olympic gymnasts?
This was also Grandi’s job. He established a program that allowed countries to earn two additional Olympic spots per nation through performances at various world and continental championships.
Grandi did this to counter the argument that roster size restrictions would allow some of the world’s best gymnasts to compete in the Olympics.
But athletes who earn these additional places are only allowed to participate in individual events and are not part of team competition. They even have to wear different colored leotards to indicate that they are not part of the team event squad.
Additionally, the qualification measures used to determine these additional places were considered “extremely complicated” and would be discarded by future gymnastics associations. They will still be in effect for the Tokyo Olympics, but the sport will revert to teams of five for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It was once additionally essential for us to put into effect a qualification gadget for Paris 2024 that everybody can perceive whilst being truthful to the most efficient athletes,” Morinari Watanabe, current FIG president, said in a May 2019 press release.
As such, the brainchild of the now retired Grandy would be short-lived.
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Olympic gymnastics roster size by years
Since Team USA’s “Magnificent Seven” of Amanda Bourdain, Amy Chow, Dominic Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominic Mocenu, Jesse Phelps, and Keri Strug won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the sport has increased the number of gymnasts participating each year. The numbers have been cut continuously. .
In fact, the size of the gymnastics roster has been reduced in three of the last four Olympics and nearly half since 1996.
| 12 months | website online | roster dimension |
| 1996 | atlanta | 7 |
| 2000 | Sydney | 6 |
| 2004 | Athens | 6 |
| 2008 | Beijing | 6 |
| 2012 | London | 5 |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | 5 |
| 2020 | Tokyo | 4 |
