The Sky Grace International Association will hold interregional and All-Russian Sky Grace Cup rhythmic gymnastics competitions

The series of Sky Grace Cup interregional competitions will kick off on March 18. The first tournament will be held in Novosibirsk and will bring to the floor more than 160 gymnasts from Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts, who will compete under Sky Grace rules in rhythmic gymnastics. The starts will follow Novosibirsk in Ulyanovsk (Volga Federal District), Sochi (Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts), Ivanovo (Central Federal District), Ukhta (Northwestern Federal District), Yekaterinburg (Ural Federal District), the Moscow Region and St. Petersburg.

The Sky Grace International Association of Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs, with Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva being its President, will act as the organizer of the competitions.

She said on the verge of tournaments:

"The Sky Grace International Association of Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs published terms and conditions of competitions to be held under our auspices and included into the Integrated Time Schedule of the Russian Ministry of Sports. We received in response a plenitude of positive responses and questions concerning their meaning. We would like to clarify: regrettably, the practice evolved with us in many kinds of sports, whereby athletes, young ones and beginners in the first instance, can commonly come into the spotlight, demonstrate their talents and qualify for categories only on condition of contributing a certain amount of money, which is most often called ‘the entry fee.’

 

Therefore, a family having no funds is unable to provide their child with participation in competitions needed to qualify for categories, which is not only unfair but also limits abilities of finding future champions. The government or sponsors but in no way Russian families should assume financial support of relevant sports events. The Sky Grace Association made a statement exactly in this connection that there will be no charges in our case, whatever they may be called. The Association undertakes all the expenses of organizing competitions being part of the Integrated Time Schedule of the Russian Ministry of Sports, where qualifications for categories will be performed. We wish success to all the participants in our sports starts!"

The tournament in Novosibirsk will be held in the sports facility of the Municipal Autonomous Institution Zarya Center of Sports Training. Marina Shpekht will be the chief judge of the contest. Gymnasts will be eligible to participate in the individual program and group exercises.

The best gymnasts according to results of interregional competitions will perform at the All-Russian tournament in the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy from April 11 to 14.