Kyiv was scheduled to host the 2020 European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics in late May. Ukraine has a deep rhythmic tradition, and the championships were expected to be an important stop on the road to Tokyo.
Delayed, not abandoned
When the pandemic halted the season in March 2020, the May date became impossible. The championships were postponed and eventually took place in Kyiv in late 2020. Several federations did not travel, so the field was smaller than usual and the results need to be read with that in mind.
What a rhythmic European Championships offers
Rhythmic championships combine individual gymnasts and groups across senior and junior categories, with the programme rotating from year to year. In a normal season the European Championships are the main continental test before the World Championships or Olympic Games.
The 2020 effect on rhythmic gymnastics
- Group gymnasts, who depend on training together every day, were hit especially hard by lockdowns. - Some routines planned for 2020 were never performed internationally. - The Olympic qualification picture, already mostly settled by 2019, stayed frozen until competition resumed.
Looking back
For rhythmic gymnastics, 2020 broke the steady rhythm of a cycle. The championships that did take place were valuable as a return to competition, but the season is remembered more for what was missing than for what happened.
Related
See our Rhythmic Gymnastics page and the 2019 Baku championships, the last edition before the pandemic.
