Gymnastics revolves around the Olympics. Competition and training therefore runs in a four-yearly cycle. Gymnasts regroup and rebuild in the first two years of the cycle, peak in Olympic year and set the scene for their possible victories in pre-Olympic year. So what happened in competition in 2013 and 2014 was relatively unimportant, but now, in 2015, the gymnasts have to begin to show their mettle. Countries have to qualify for the Olympics at this winter's World Championships, and individual gymnasts must demonstrate over the coming year that they are ready to be selected for their respective teams. For Russia, qualification is the prime concern this autumn. In Glasgow we will not see the full 'finished' article by any means and the gymnastics will to a fair extent carry the 'work in progress' label. What did the European Games tell us about the state of their readiness for this important competition? Viktoria Komova ...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.