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China to defend men's quaternion title in acro gymnastics worlds

Xinhua, April 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

China will try to defend their four-man group title at the 25th FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships that opened on Friday in Putian city, southeast China.

China fielded Zheng Li, Luoming Rui, Zhang Teng and Zhou Jiahuai in the four-man category which China won in past two versions in 2012 and 2014.

As a non-Olympic sport, the event which mainly showcases athletes skills including handstand and somersaults, attracts 152 athletes from 21 countries and regions to join the competition in five categories, namely women's pairs, men's pairs, mixed pairs, women's trios and men's quaternions.

Organizers said they had worked hard to promote the sport in China.

"The number of participants had once shrunk, because it is a non-Olympic sport, but now things are getting better. We're promoting this sport in schools and colleges, though it is hard," said China's gymnastics official Miao Zhongyi

"We hope more young people will fall in love with the sport because it is a perfect combination of power and beauty," said Miao.

Gymnastics' world governing body FIG also hoped the sport can pick up its popularity in the most populous country.

"We are delighted to be in China, to be able to promote this sport here in such a large Asian country," said FIG Vice President Slava Corn. "I am convinced that with this help, Acrobatic Gymnastics will continue to develop in China."

Acrobatics World Championship, initiated in 1974 in Moscow, has been mostly organized in European cities. It is the second time for China to hold the event as Beijing became the host city in 1994.

The 9th Acrobatic Gymnastics Age Groups Competition ended this Tuesday in Putian as a total of 790 young athletes from 34 countries and regions competed for 15 gold medals. Endit