After nine years of absence, Egypt is set to host the 14th African Championships for Rhythmic Gymnastics and Trampoline Sport, which kicks off today and lasts for two days.
The championship is of importance as it qualifies some of the winners to take part in the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina.
Taking place at Cairo International Stadium, the championship brings together 25 players representing 14 African countries.
Egypt competes with the participating countries to win three places in the Olympics: two in the trampoline field and one in rhythmic gymnastics.
This year’s competition witnesses the participation of two group teams in rhythmic gymnastics—one under 16 and another above 16—while six individual Egyptian girls compete with 19 girls from other African countries for the potential to qualify for the Olympics, if they were born after 2003. Moreover, five Egyptian individual female and male players compete to win the two vacant African spots at the Olympics.
In the last competition, held in 2016 in Namibia, Egypt’s under-16 group team won five gold medals, while Egyptian individuals won first, second, third, and fourth places.
