Gymnastics in Azerbaijan

Gymnastics (Azerbaijani: Gimnastika) is a popular sport in Azerbaijan.

History

Gymnastics was introduced to Azerbaijan in the Soviet period when Azerbaijani gymnast Lina Vinnikova participated in the 1961 world tournament in Germany.

Aside from artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics started to develop in Azerbaijan after the 1984 Summer Olympics. Rhythmic gymnastics was particularly boosted after Mehriban Aliyeva become President of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation in 2002.^[1]

Azerbaijan has produced many notable and talented gymnasts including Valery Belenky, Aliya Garayeva, Anna Gurbanova, Dinara Gimatova and hosted big competitions like the 2005 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships, 2009 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships and 2014 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships. As of November 2013, Yulia Inshina and Anna Pavlova will be representing Azerbaijan.

In 2015, the National Gymnastics Arena was built in Azerbaijan.

Events

The first sporting championship in 5 disciplines of gymnastics (Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline Gymnastics, Acrobatic Gymnastics and Aerobic Gymnastics) – the Joint Gymnastics Championships in Azerbaijan – was organized in August 2014.^[2] In December 2014, an Inter-regional Cup was conducted in the framework of Azerbaijan and Baku Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship.^[3] In March 2015, the Open Joint Azerbaijan Championship in Gymnastics was organized as a test event before Baku 2015.^[4]

Azerbaijan hosted several international championships in gymnastics:

Competitions	Date
World Cup series in Rhythmic Gymnastics (A category)	August 2003[5]
World Cup series in Rhythmic Gymnastics (A category)	April 2004[6]
The World Cup A series (“AGF” Cup) in Rhythmic Gymnastics	May 2005[7]
The 27th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship	October 2005[8]
The 23rd European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship	June–July 2007[9]
25th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	May 2009[10]
30th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	June 2014[11]
FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup AGF Trophy	February 2016[12]
FIG World Trampoline Gymnastics Cup AGF Trophy	March 2016[13]
The FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup AGF Trophy	July 2016[14]
FIG Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling World Cup AGF Trophy	February 2017[15]
FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup AGF Trophy	March 2017[16]
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup series AGF Trophy	April 2017[17]
FIG Artistic Gymnastics Individual Apparatus World Cup AGF Trophy	March 2018[18]
26th European Championships in Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline	April 2018[19]
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, AGF Trophy	April 2018[20]
FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup, AGF Trophy	November 2018[21]
FIG World Cup in Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling, AGF Trophy 2019	February 2019[22]
FIG Artistic Gymnastics Individual Apparatus World Cup, AGF Trophy 2019	March 2019[23]
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, AGF Trophy 2019	April 2019[24]
35th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	May 2019[25]
The 11th European Aerobic Gymnastics Championships	May 2019[26]
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships	September 2019[27]

Medal winners

Championship	Individual/Team	Rank	Event	Year
23rd European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship	Aliya Garayeva		Rope	June–July 2007[28]
	Team of Aliya Garayeva, Dinara Gimatova, and Anna Gurbanova
28th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship	Team of Aliya Garayeva, Dinara Gimatova, Anna Gurbanova, Zeynab Javadli			September 2007[29]
"AEON Cup" Worldwide Rhythmic Gymnastics Club Championship	Team of Aliya Garayeva, Zeynab Javadli and Samira Mustafayeva			October 2008[30]
25th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Team of Aliya Garayeva and Anna Gurbanova			May 2009[31]
	Anna Gurbanova		Final of Ball
	Junior Team of Sabina Abbasova, Nigar Abdusalimova, Yevgeniya Zhidkova, Ayelita Khalafova, Kamilla Mammadova, Lala Maharramova		Final of Ribbons
8th World Game	Aliya Garayeva		Final exercise with a Ribbon at Rhythmic Gymnastics	July 2009[32]
	Women's Pair - Ayla Ahmadova and Dilara Sultanova		Final of Combined exercises at Acrobatic Gymnastics
29th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Aliya Garayeva		Final with a Ball	September 2009[33]
	Team of Aliya Garayeva, Anna Gurbanova, Zeynab Javadli
24th European Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships	Women's Pair of Ayla Ahmadova and Dilara Sultanova		Dynamic Balance All-Around Final	October 2009[34]
26th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Aliya Garayeva		All-Around	April 2010[35]
	Lala Yusifova		Final of Ball
	Team of Irada Ahadzada, Madina Hasanova, Mansura Mehdiyeva, Aliya Pashayeva		in total of two performances (4 Hoops, 4 Ribbons)
30th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Aliya Garayeva	3	Final exercises with a Hoop, a Ball and a Ribbon	September 2010[36]
	Team of Aliya Garayeva, Anna Gurbanova, Samira Mustafayeva
27th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Junior Team of Lala Yusifova, Aysha Mustafayeva, Mansura Bagiyeva, Aynur Jabbarli, Sabina Garatova, Siyana Vasileva		Final with 5 Ropes	May 2011[37]
26th World Universiade	Aliya Garayeva		Final with Clubs at Rhythmic Gymnastics	August 2011[38]
31st World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Aliya Garayeva		All-Around Final	September 2011[39]
28th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Aliya Garayeva		All-Around Final	June 2012[40]
	Nilufar Niftaliyeva (junior)		Final of Hoop
	Gulsum Shafizada (junior)		Final of Ribbon
"Children of Asia" 5th International Sports Games	Nilufar Niftaliyeva	2 1	All-Around, Clubs Hoop	July 2012[41]
	Mansura Bagiyeva		Ribbon Ball
London Olympic Games	Aliya Garayeva	4th	All-Around Final at Rhythmic Gymnastics	August 2012[42]
29th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Junior Team of Gulsum Shafizada, Nilufar Niftaliyeva, Sabina Hummatova, Aleksandra Platonova, Emilya Bagiyeva, Aynur Mustafayeva		Final with 5 Hoops	June 2013[43]
European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships	Anna Pavlova			May 2014[44]
30th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Team of Siyana Vasileva, Aliya Pashayeva, Diana Doman, Aleksandra Platonova, Aynur Mustafayeva		Final with 3 Balls and 2 Ribbons	June 2014[45]
	Zhala Piriyeva		Final with a Hoop
	Junior team of Zhala Piriyeva and Zuleykha Ismayilova
31st Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships	Marina Durunda		Final with a Ribbon	May 2015[46]
Baku 2015	Oleg Stepko		Final on Parallel Bars	June 2015[47]
			All-Around
			on Pommel Horse
			on Vault Artistic Gymnastics
	Team of Oleg Stepko, Petro Pakhnyuk, Eldar Safarov		Artistic Gymnastics
	Marina Durunda		Final with a Ribbon at Rhythmic Gymnastics
	Ilya Grishunin		Final Trampoline Gymnastics
34th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships	Marina Durunda	6th	All-Around Final	September 2015[48]
8th European Age Group Competitions in Acrobatic Gymnastics	Men's Pair of Seymur Jafarov and Murad Akparov		Final Combined exercises	September 2015[48]
	Mixed Pair of Aghasif Rahimov and Nurjan Jabbarli
46th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships	Oleg Stepko		Final on Parallel Bars	November 2015[49]
9th World Acrobatic Gymnastics Age Group Competitions	Men's Pair (Seymur Jafarov-Murad Akparov)		Final Combined exercises	March 2016[50]
	Mixed Pair (Aghasif Rahimov-Nurjan Jabbarli)		Final Combined exercises
25th European Championships in Trampoline Gymnastics, Tumbling and Double-mini Trampoline	Dmitri Fedorovski		Double-mini Trampoline	April 2016[51]
2017 World Games	Synchro Pair of Veronika Zemlianaia and Sviatlana Makshtarova		Trampoline	July 2017[52]
2017 Acrobatic Gymnastics European Championships	Mixed pair of Aghasif Rahimov and Nurjan Jabbarli		final of All-Around and Balance exercises among juniors	October 2017[53]
25th Trampoline Gymnastics World Age Group Competitions	Mikhail Malkin		Tumbling	November 2017[54]

See also

Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation