Aesthetic group gymnastics

Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (AGG) is developed from the Finnish "naisvoimistelu". It differs from Rhythmic Gymnastics through its big and continuous body movement and larger teams. Apparatus are not used in international AGG competitions compared to Rhythmic Gymnastics where ball, ribbon, hoop and clubs are used on the floor area. The sport requires physical qualities such as flexibility, balance, speed, strength, coordination and sense of rhythm where movements of the body are emphasized in the flow, expressive and aesthetic appeal. A good performance is characterized by uniformity and simultaneity. The competition program consists of versatile and varied body movements, such as body waves and swings, balances and pivots, jumps and leaps, dance steps, and lifts. The International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (IFAGG) was established in 2003.^[1]

Categories

The origins of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics date back to 1950. The sport was originally developed in Finland and Estonia. In Finland, the sport follows the rules of The Finnish Gymnastics Federation, which is one of Finland's largest sport federations, with 381 clubs consisting of approximately 122,000 members.^[2]

In Finland the Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (AGG) has been divided into two series: the championship and the competition series. The championship series is tougher than the competition series, as they compete for the Finnish Championship. The teams can decide themselves in which series they want to compete but The Finnish Gymnastics Federation has put out recommendations that they prefer to be followed. Competitions within AGG are organized at local, national, and international levels.

Aesthetic Group Gymnastic teams consist of a minimum of six- and a maximum of 10 (12) gymnasts, who perform a program from 2.15-2.45 minutes. An over- or under run of 5 sec is though permitted. The International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics is divided into two age categories: Junior Category Gymnasts that are at the age of 14 – 16 years and Senior Category Gymnasts that are over 16 years old. The competition dress of a group must be a leotard with aesthetic appeal considering the spirit of competitive sport. The size of the competition area, which is a gymnastics carpet, is 13 m x 13 m. The area should be used diverse.

Judging

According to the rules of The Finnish Gymnastics Federation, in the spring teams compete with programs without apparatus and on the fall with programs including apparatus, which is dependent on the age category. The teams are divided into age groups in both series; the age categories in the championship series are 12-14, 14-16, and 16+. The equivalent categories in the competition series are: 12-14, 14-16, 16-20, and women's category 18+. Younger than 12 years old compete in the same series, and after that decide in which series they want to participate in. In the autumn competitions the apparatus are following:

The jury is composed of three judges: technical, artistical, and execution. The technical jury will assess the difficulty of the required parts, balances, jumps, body movements, as well as other required parts. The artistical jury evaluates the structure, diversity and artistic creativity of the program. The jury will judge the formation of figures, music, the talent level of the group, and performance in rhythm. The executive jury evaluates the simultaneous and the technique of the performance.

The points are given in categories for the age group10-12 years. It consists of 10 categories, which of 1 is the highest and 10 the lowest category. The championship series in the age group 12–14 years get points, in the same way as the elder age groups in the championship series. The highest total score is 20.00 points consisting of: Technical 5.9 (+ 0.1 bonus), Artistical 3.9 (+ 0,1 bonus), and Execution 9.9 (+ 0,1 bonus).^[3]

The competition series in the age group 12–14 years get categories from A to E, which of A is the highest and E the lowest category. Each judge give a score* according to which teams will be placed in a category. *The highest total score is 20.00 points consisting of: Technical 4.9 (+ 0.1 bonus), Artistical 4.8(+ 0,2 bonus), and Execution 9.9 (+ 0,1 bonus).^[3]

Aesthetic Group Gymnastics World Championships

Aesthetic Group Gymnastics is a discipline not currently recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. World Championships are organized annually since 2000 by the International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (IFAAG).^[4][5]

Year	Location	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2000	Helsinki	Finland Campuksen Koonto	Estonia GC Piruett	Finland Lahjan Tytöt
2001	Tallinn	Estonia GC Piruett	Finland Lahjan Tytöt	Estonia SC Velar
				Finland Olarin Voimistelijat
2002	Prague	Finland Olarin Voimistelijat/Dynamot	Russia Vozrozhdenie	Russia Vera Sport Club
2003	Graz	Finland Olarin Voimistelijat/Dynamot	Finland Olarin Voimistelijat/Elektronit	Estonia GC Janika
2004	Sofia	Finland Olarin Voimistelijat/Dynamot	Russia SC Oscar	Russia SC Roxett
2005	Copenhagen	Russia SC Roxett	Finland Vantaan Voimisteluseura/Frida	Estonia GC Piruett
2006	Tampere	Finland Olarin Voimistelijat/Dynamot	Bulgaria National Team	Russia SC Roxett
2007	Salou	Estonia GC Janika	Bulgaria National Team	Russia SC Oscar
2008	Toronto	Finland Olarin Voimistelijat/Deltat	Estonia Janika Elite	Bulgaria National Team
				Russia SC Oscar
2009	Moscow	Finland Deltat	Russia SC Oscar	Russia Madonna
2010	Varna	Finland Fotonit/OVO	Russia Madonna	Bulgaria National Team
2011	Tartu	Russia Madonna	Bulgaria National Team	Estonia Joint Elite Team
2012	Cartagena	Russia Madonna	Bulgaria National Team	Russia Nebesa
2013	Lahti	Russia Madonna	Finland OVO Team	Bulgaria National Team
2014	Moscow	Russia Madonna	Bulgaria National Team	Russia Expressia
2015	Tórshavn	Finland Minetit	Russia Expressia	Bulgaria National Team
2016	Brno	Russia Expressia	Finland Minetit	Russia Madonna

References