The board of the multi-sport European Championships has announced today that Munich was chosen as the host of the next event. The first multi-sport Euros took place in 2018 in Glasgow and Berlin. Artistic gymnastics will once again be part of the event and the competition will take place in August of 2022. Athletics, cycling, golf, rowing and triathlon will also be represented at the competition. The European Championships in Munich will take place fifty years after the 1972 Olympics, the competition that made Olga Korbut famous.
BREAKING NEWS: Munich to host multi-sport European Championships in 2022
— European Championships (@Euro_Champs) November 12, 2019
– Athletics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing, Triathlon in for 2nd edition
– Will mark 50th anniversary of Olympic Games in German city
– Olympic Park to be heart of champs
– Dates: 11-21 August 2022 pic.twitter.com/PXUUwawkw4
For gymnastics, hosting the European Championships in August instead of the usual dates sometime in April or May might be tricky. Normally, European gymnasts can get to their top shape in the spring for Euros, have some rest and downtime in the summer and then peak again in October just in time for the World Championships. Hosting the competition in August will likely mean most gymnasts will not have time to rest and heal after an important competition. In 2018, some of the gymnasts and coaches complained about the timing, while Belgian women’s team even opted to skip the team final afraid to risk an injury so close to the World Championships. Another twist is added in 2022 – the European Championships will serve as a qualifier for the World Championships. Then the best 8 teams from the 2022 Worlds will automatically qualify to the 2023 Worlds where Olympic berths will be decided. Thus, it will be very important for gymnasts to give their best performance at both Euros and Worlds.
For British and Irish gymnasts, the competition also comes just a month after the Commonwealth Games that will take place in Great Britain. It will be interesting to see whether Great Britain will opt to send their B squad to their home Commonwealth Games in order to save the strongest gymnasts for the European Championships.
Only 13 best teams will qualify from the 2022 Euros to the 2022 World Championships. If we apply that to the 2018 results, for example, on the women’s side the Czech Republic would be out as they placed 15th at Euros. On the men’s side the situation would have been even more dramatic as Ukraine, Turkey, and Belarus would miss the cut. With Euros serving as a World qualifier, I expect the competition become much more cutthroat and the gymnasts will have to bring their best game.
Support Gymnovosti on Patreon from only $1 a month and help us bring to you even more awesome gymnastics coverage!
Buy cool gymnastics-themed t-shirts, hoodies, pillows, phone cases, and more at our store on Teepublic!
“Another twist is added in 2022 – the European Championships will serve as a qualifier for the World Championships. Then the best 8 teams from the 2022 Worlds will automatically qualify to the 2023 Worlds where Olympic berths will be decided. Thus, it will be very important for gymnasts to give their best performance at both Euros and Worlds.”
I think this is ok – teams that need their absolute best performances at Euros to qualify for Worlds are not going to be competitive at Worlds itself, so it would make sense for them to try to hit their highest peak at Euros. The teams that will contend for team finals at Worlds won’t need to be in top form to qualify so they won’t need to peak twice either. It will be rough on a few individuals who both carry their teams AND contend for individual medals, but on the whole I don’t see a big problem.