The 9th World Cup Final in trampoline and tumbling will take place in the city of Togliatti in Russia on September 19-20, 2008. The decision was made by the Executive body of the FIG in February.
This 9th World Cup Final will be the last edition of the World Cup Final as the World Cup series will no longer be concluded by a World Cup Final in the future. This change was partly caused by the fact that World Championships will be held on an annual basis, expect in Olympic years.
The city of Togliatti, located in Southern Russia, and named after the Italian politician Palmiro Togliatti. It is mostly famous for manufacturing the Lada cars.
The city of Togliatti is a historical trampoline stronghold in Russia. Some of the most promising Russian prospects such as 2006 European Youth Champion Mikhail Melnik and Ilya Grishunin are from Togliatti. Athletes such as 1988 World Champion and 1985-1987 European Champion Vadim Krasnochapka (before transferring to the Ukrainian city of Nikolaev), 1973 European Champion Olga Starikova, 1982 European Youth Champion Irina Tolmacheva were originally from Togliatti.
Togliatti has never hosted an international event as major as a World Cup in the past. This 2008 Togliatti World Cup Final will be the first time that Russia will host a World Cup Final. It will however be the 9th time that Russia will host a World Cup. The first one took place in St Petersburg in 1995, which was won by Igor Durnev (RUS) and Andrea Holmes (GBR), followed by a World Cup in Krasnodar in 1996, which was won by Alexander Danilchenko (RUS) and Irina Karavaeva (RUS), then by the St Petersburg World Cup in 1999, which was won by German Khnychev (RUS) and Rusudan Khoperia (GEO), and another World Cup in St Petersburg in 2001, which was won by Alexander Rusakov (RUS) and Irina Karavaeva. The last three World Cups hosted by Russia were the 2006 Krasnodar World Cup won by Yasuhiro Ueyama (JPN) and Irina Karavaeva (RUS), the 2005 Krasnodar World Cup won by Adam Goetz (GER) and Irina Karavaeva (RUS), and the 2004 Moscow World Cup, which was won by Yuri Nikitin (UKR) and Claire Wright (GBR). St Petersburg also hosted a World Cup in August 2007, won by Lu Chunlong (CHN) and Irina Karavaeva (RUS).
As a result of the scheduling of the World Cup Final in mid-September, the Loule World Cup to be held in Portugal one week later will be part of the 2009-2010 World Cup series.
Seven World Cups will be held in 2008:
- In Wroclaw, Poland, on March 7-8, 2008 (Category A in trampoline - Category B in tumbling)
- In Osaka, Japan, on May 16-17, 2008 (Category B in trampoline)
- In Publier, France, on May 23-24, 2008 (Category A in trampoline - Category A in tumbling - Category B in acrobatic gymnastics)
- In Arosa, Switzerland, on June 20-21, 2008 (Category A in trampoline)
- In Albacete, Spain, on June 27-28, 2008 (Category B in trampoline)
- World Cup Final - In Togliatti, Russia, on September 17-21, 2008 (presumably Category B in trampoline and tumbling)
- In Loule, Portugal, on September 26-27, 2008 (Category A in trampoline and tumbling) - to be part of the 2009-2010 World Cup series.
Other major international events for 2008 include:
- the Pacific Alliance Championships in San Jose, United States, on March 28-30, 2008,
- the European Championships in Odense, Denmark, on April 28-May 03, 2008,
- the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, on August 08-24, 2008,
- the Indo-Pacific Championships in Roturua, New Zealand, in mid-late October 2008,
- the World Games test in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on November 1-2, 2008,
- the African Championships, in Morocco, in November 2008, and
- the Pan American Championships, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2008.
AcrobaticSports.com would like to thank Stephan Duchesne, PAGU Trampoline & Tumbling Technical Committee President, for his input.
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