Shanghai Artistic Gymnastics cultivates Guo Qiqi, 186 young girls dance at the training ground of the New World Champion

The 2023 Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships concluded on August 30th at the Artistic Gymnastics Sub Hall of Chongming Sports Training Base in Shanghai. 186 young and beautiful girls, 28 coaches, and leaders from 9 districts of Shanghai participated in the "Ballet on the Carpet" together.

On August 27th, the Chinese artistic gymnastics team made a historic breakthrough by winning the gold medal in the collective 5-lap individual final at the 2023 Valencia Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, marking the first time the Chinese artistic gymnastics team has won a world championship.

The Chinese artistic gymnastics team won the gold medal in the collective 5-lap individual final at the 2023 Valencia Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Guo Qiqi is the captain. Shen Jizhong

The Chinese artistic gymnastics team, which won the world championship for the first time, actually has a lot of Shanghai elements. Guo Qiqi, who has won a historic world championship and served as the captain of the Chinese artistic gymnastics team, showcases her outstanding style. She was trained and delivered by the Shanghai team. Before participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 Valencia World Championships, the Chinese artistic gymnastics team had trained and prepared for the competition at the Chongming Sports Training Base in Shanghai, and praised the professional facilities and service guarantee here.

The 2023 Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be held at the training venue of the newly crowned world champion Chinese national team stationed in Shanghai. Haishaer photography

As an annual municipal competition, this year's Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships is also the first professional venue in history to enter the daily training of the Shanghai Artistic Gymnastics Team and the Chinese Artistic Gymnastics Team. As district level third tier amateur athletes, most of them are the first to enter such a tall and professional field. Looking at the heroic demeanor of national and world champions on the honor wall, many little girls' eyes lit up and they said, "I also want to stand on the podium like an older sister, to bring glory to our country."

Winning the world championship for the first time, Shanghai elements are shining

On the afternoon of August 30th, 2023, the Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships were engaged in individual group D and collective group D competitions, which was also the final competition segment of the competition. At the end of the competition, the award-winning athletes, coaches, and referees took a group photo as a souvenir. However, the most discussed topic was still the Chinese artistic gymnastics team's victory in the team event's 5-lap individual final, achieving a breakthrough of zero gold medals at the Chinese Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The Chinese team, which won 1 gold and 2 silver, also secured a spot in the team event at the Paris Olympics.

The Chinese artistic gymnastics team winning the world championship is also an encouragement for young people. Haishaer photography

A senior figure in artistic gymnastics said, "China's artistic gymnastics has won the world championship for the first time. As artistic gymnasts, we are naturally excited. Many people have passed down the torch, which is a lifelong goal for everyone to strive for. Including the captain of the Chinese team, Guo Qiqi, who is an athlete trained and transported by the Shanghai team, our circle of friends as artistic gymnasts has exploded. Everyone is proud and proud of the Chinese team. This world champion is also a motivation for the children participating in this competition, and they have a role model and goal from then on."

"The outstanding performance of the Chinese team's players stems from their usual hard work and the careful arrangement of the coaching staff." This insider believes that "this time, the Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships is the first time that young players have entered the training base, allowing them to directly experience the professional training conditions of the Shanghai team and the national team. It is also a kind of guidance, inspiring them to train hard and learn from the older sisters."

214 young and beautiful girls and coaches from 9 districts in Shanghai participated in the "most beautiful sports" together. Haishaer photography

A mother who came to the scene to put on makeup for her daughter sighed, "The Chinese artistic gymnastics national team has just achieved a breakthrough of zero world championships, and the girls often train and compete here. This city wide competition allows the children to feel the same place where the Chinese athletes who have won the world championship have fought, allowing them to better understand the connotation of sports spirit and deeply feel the passion of fighting for the honor of the motherland."

Sports schools and clubs require walking on two legs

Sports schools and clubs require walking on two legs

Social clubs have brought positive assistance to the popularization of artistic gymnastics in Shanghai. Haishaer photography

Traditional sports schools and socialized clubs need strong alliances to form a joint force and explore in terms of popularization and talent transfer. Haishaer photography

Traditional sports schools and socialized clubs need strong alliances to form a joint force and explore in terms of popularization and talent transfer. Haishaer photography

"As a traditional amateur sports school at the district level, the advantage of being a third tier may be that the teaching staff is more professional and focuses more on delivering talents to the second tier. The mechanism of social clubs is more flexible, putting popularization first. At the same time, in recent years, they have been continuously providing reserve talents for the second tier team." A team leader believes that in terms of popularization, social clubs have more advantages. "The training time in sports schools is from Monday to Saturday, and children come to train for 2 hours after school. On Sundays, our coaches rest. Many artistic gymnastics clubs only provide training on weekends, which is more in line with market demand and gradually building popularity."

The referees at the Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships work diligently. Haishaer photography

At the Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the referees had discussions and exchanges after the competition. Haishaer photography

At the Shanghai Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the referees had discussions and exchanges after the competition. Haishaer photography

The artistic gymnastics project does have a high threshold for venue and funding. Artistic gymnastics requires throwing balls and circles upwards, and the height of the training hall must be at least 6 meters; The carpet area is 15 meters multiplied by 15 meters, which is expensive. As a relatively niche project, artistic gymnastics has a high investment, slow effectiveness, and fast replacement of athletes. From the perspective of gold medal strategy, it is considered "cost-effective", so some districts have not established dedicated artistic gymnastics teams. It is reported that less than half of the artistic gymnastics teams in the 16 districts of Shanghai have independent artistic gymnastics training venues. At this time, socialized clubs with market thinking and emphasis on popularization play an important role in talent cultivation, sports popularization, and filling in gaps.

Overall, in addition to the traditional youth sports school model, many district representative teams cooperate with district level sports functional departments and social clubs, and the support of social clubs has become an important force for the popularization of artistic gymnastics in Shencheng. This competition is hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, and organized by the Shanghai Sports Training Management Center Gymnastics Center, Shanghai Gymnastics Association, and Shanghai Yangpu District Youyimei Youth Sports Club.

Connect the first, second, and third lines to explore more good seedlings

Artistic gymnastics has a good popularization foundation in Shanghai and is recognized by parents. Haishaer photography

Shanghai artistic gymnastics is also constantly improving, cultivating more talented talents, and striving to find a champion successor for Guo Qiqi. Haishaer photography

Shanghai artistic gymnastics is also constantly improving, cultivating more talented talents, and striving to find a champion successor for Guo Qiqi. Haishaer photography

With the continuous creation of new history in Chinese artistic gymnastics, Shanghai artistic gymnastics, as a traditional strong team in China, has reached a relatively high point. Liu Xin and Guo Qiqi, trained in Shanghai, rose strongly in the Tokyo Olympics. As veteran athletes, Guo Qiqi is still the anchor of the national team. She won the silver medal in the Shaanxi National Games, and Liu Miaoting, the captain of the Chinese national second team, was also trained and transported by Shanghai. All of these remind the development of artistic gymnastics in Shanghai. On the basis of promoting it well, it is necessary to further explore the potential and find a successor to Guo Qiqi's championship.

The Shanghai Artistic Gymnastics Program will further promote its popularization. Haishaer photography

The Shanghai Artistic Gymnastics Program will further promote its popularization. Haishaer photography

"It should be said that the young athletes trained and delivered by Shanghai themselves are constantly improving. In the age range of 2012 to 2014, there are good seedlings in Shanghai, and the number of talents delivered locally is also increasing." An insider introduced that third line teams have also encountered situations where members give up training due to choosing to study, but it is a normal phenomenon. "Artistic gymnastics players and parents may face a decision in the fourth grade of elementary school whether to pursue a professional path. Shanghai city level competitions can only rely on second level athletes, and the support for college entrance examination and education under the new policies of relevant parties is not significant. At this time, what insists on training is true love. Most students and parents often reduce their time spent on amateur training after the academic pressure in elementary school increases." Respect parents' realistic choices, after all, the identity of amateur athletes is first and foremost that of a student

Liang Junru, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Gymnastics Center of the Shanghai Sports Training and Management Center, serves as the Deputy Director of the Competition Committee for this event. She believes that in the future, Shanghai artistic gymnastics needs to strengthen the communication and connection between the third, second, and first lines, especially the integration of training technical standards.

Representatives of some award-winning contestants took a group photo as a souvenir.

A group photo of the coaching staff of the Shanghai artistic gymnastics team and representatives of the award-winning athletes.

Judges and other staff ensure the professional and orderly conduct of the competition.

She said, "Now our team members who are transferred from the third line to the second line and the first line may need to pay attention to details again after joining the team, including the first team members who also face similar situations after joining the national team. Since the Chinese artistic gymnastics national team often trains at the Chongming Sports Training Base in Shanghai, we will strive to achieve more standards and also strive to send more talents to the national team."