Rebeccas andrade (Photo By Rede do Esporte)
Six Olympic qualification places and 14 World titles will be at stake at the 54th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships starting tomorrow in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.
Along with being the most prestigious competition on the yearly calendar, this year’s World Championships carries added importance as the first qualification event for the LA 2028 Olympic Games. The top three men’s and women’s teams in Rotterdam earn automatic berths to the next Games, guaranteeing those nations the right to send teams of five to Los Angeles.
In addition to the team champions, the Men’s and Women’s Individual All-Around and 10 Apparatus World champions will be decided at the 54th edition of the championships that dates back to 1903.
Eight of the 11 World champions from 2025 will seek to defend their titles, and six Paris Olympic gold medallists will also be in the mix. A total of 24 nations representing all five continents have qualified teams to the event, which will see gymnasts from 82 nations competing over nine days.
World and Olympic champions set for Rotterdam showdown
High-profile contenders include three-time World All-Around champion Hashimoto Daiki of Japan, who is aiming to become only the second man to win four, Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, whose six Olympic medals make her the most decorated Brazilian Olympian in history, Kaylia Nemour of Algeria, Africa’s first World and Olympic champion in Artistic Gymnastics, and China’s Zou Jingyuan, who owns two Olympic golds and four World titles on Parallel Bars.
Team competitions are only held at the World Championships in the two years leading up to an Olympic Games, meaning the last time a team title was given out was in 2023. The U.S. women have won a record seven consecutive World team titles, but are expected to face strong challenges from 2024 Olympic medalists Italy and Brazil, as well as Great Britain, China and Japan.
“It is a great honour to welcome the world’s best gymnasts to Rotterdam for the 54th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. This vibrant city will provide a wonderful stage for sporting excellence, while bringing our global gymnastics community together in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and shared passion,” said World Gymnastics President Morinari Watanabe.
The medal events begin on 20 October with the Men’s team final. The Women’s team final will be held on the 21st and Men’s and Women’s All-Around finals on the 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Two days of apparatus finals cap the championships.
