When it was announced that the Tokyo Olympics would be postponed for a year, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) decided not to cancel the 2021 Worlds in Copenhagen, even though there are usually no World Championships in Olympic years. However, in July, Denmark withdrew from hosting the event. This is understandable, as Worlds are an expensive competition. Individual Worlds in post-Olympic years are usually less popular and less attended and it’s safe to assume that even fewer big-name gymnasts will want to attend a big competition only a few months after the Olympics. The pandemic, which is likely to still be going on, makes hosting even more expensive due to all the safety measures and diminished ticket sales.
However, Japan stepped up and offered to host both the artistic and rhythmic gymnastics Worlds. The FIG has announced today that the competitions will take place in October 2021 in Kitakyushu, the home city of Kohei Uchimura and the FIG’s president Morinari Watanabe.
