187 athletes from 25 countries will compete in the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup from today, the 27th, until Sunday, the 29th of May, at Portimão Arena.
This will be the second stage of the World Cup circuit and will feature competition between groups and between individual gymnasts.
The competition started at 11:00 am this Friday, with archery and ball exercises, followed at 18:30 pm, in the sets, the five-ball competitions.
Tomorrow, the club and ribbon competition starts at 11:00, while at 18:15 the competition of three ribbons and two balls takes place, opening the last day, May 29, with hoops and ball, at 15:00, alternating the individual side with the groups.
The protocol ceremonies are scheduled for 16:58, followed by the mace and ribbon competitions, culminating the program with the gala and closing ceremony, around 19:35.
At a press conference that took place yesterday, the 26th, Andreia Sanches, technical director of the Portuguese Gymnastics Federation (FPG), highlighted, among the foreign contingent, the presence of the Japanese Kita Sumire, a finalist in the last Olympics, as well as the Hungarian Fanni Pigniczki and the North American Evita Griskenas, all of them present in Tokyo. In the sets, the official pointed out favoritism to Mexico, Brazil and Finland.
Regarding the Portuguese team, made up of Margarida Ferreira, Felícia Oprea, Bruna Simões, Clara Melo, Beatriz Freitas and Clara Paiva, the technical director assumed that «the existing conditions are not yet ideal for us to compete on an equal footing, which is a great opportunity for the girls to acquire some experience, following the bet we are making in the sets since the beginning of this year».
For her part, Catarina Leandro, the vice-president of the FPG, highlighted the partnership with the municipality, "which has given a very positive impression to the participating delegations over the years, who never tire of praising the conditions that exist here and the affection that characterizes Portimão, where we all feel part of a big family».
«For all these reasons, and because it is an event with a competitive level, the Algarve World Cup competition is very prestigious for Portimão, our federation and the country», he concluded.
Isilda Gomes, Mayor of Portimão, stressed that “after the European City of Sport 2019 project, we continued to invest heavily in this area, as we consider it essential, both for our fellow citizens and for us to take the name of Portimão to the world.” , by carrying out tests at the highest level'.
The mayor highlighted the fact that there are currently three clubs in the municipality practicing rhythmic gymnastics, one in each parish, in a total of close to three hundred athletes.
«In addition to promoting numerous modalities, whether on land, at sea or in the air, our focus is also on the creation and continuous enhancement of municipal sports facilities, an example of which will be the inauguration of LED lighting in Portimão Arena on the occasion of the Cup of the World of Rhythmic Gymnastics, which represents a municipal investment of around 170 thousand euros», added Isilda Gomes.
The local event of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup is jointly organized by the Portuguese Gymnastics Federation, Portimão City Council and Portimão Tourism Association.
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