The southern province of Mersin will welcome 218 gymnasts from 21 countries starting Wednesday for the men’s and women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championship. The men will compete on Dec. 9-13, while women will compete on Dec. 17-20 for the tournament held in Turkey for the first time.
"We will prove that Turkey is capable of hosting such organizations," Turkish Gymnastics Federation President Suat Çelen said. Turkey has stepped up to the plate after France and Azerbaijan pulled out as hosts due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event is expected to be organized within the short time frame of two months.
The tournament will be held at a sports hall built for the 2013 Mediterranean Games and under strict measures against the outbreak.
Among those competing in the event are Ukraine’s Petro Pakhniuk, Igor Radivilov and European Youth Olympics Festival (EYOF) 2019 champion Ilia Kovtun. Israeli star Artem Dolgopyat, Romania’s Marian Dragulescu and pommel horse star Saso Bertoncelj of Slovenia will also attend the event. Turkey itself relies on its men’s team, which includes the country’s first gymnastics world champion Ibrahim Çolak and stars Ferhat Arıcan and Ahmet Önder. For the women’s competitions, Göksu Üçtaş Şanlı, Dilara Yurtdaş, Bilge Tarhan, Cemre Kendirci and Ece Yağmur Yavuz will compete for gold.
Çelen told Anadolu Agency (AA) Monday that Turkey’s application to host the event was approved by the organizing committee on the grounds that there was no other country that could arrange it on such short notice. "Our biggest advantage was the sports hall. We already hosted a world championship, but this event has an altogether different format," he said. The event will also be an opportunity to showcase Turkey’s preparedness in organizing such international competitions ahead of the 2023 edition of the tournament, which is scheduled to be held in the southern province of Antalya, Çelen said.
The pandemic has forced many countries to scrap international tournaments, but Çelen said all measures will be in place in Mersin. "Everyone, from journalists covering the championship to staff, is being tested. Hotels, where gymnasts will stay, are being inspected for virus measures. No fans will be allowed," Çelen said.