Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan’s National Gymnastics Arena will open its doors for fans of this graceful sport by organizing tours of the arena.

Since it opened in April 2014, several questions have been raised on the training conditions for the athletes, who are part of the national teams in various gymnastics disciplines, their work schedules, facilities in the arena, and, of course, questions concerning the apparatus and sports equipment used by gymnasts during their performances.

The visitors will now have an opportunity to gain an insight into all these and much more by joining the tour of the arena, which is considered to be a unique sports facility in the world, specialized in all seven gymnastics disciplines that are included in the program of the International Federation of Gymnastics.

The tour is held every Saturday at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. local time. During the tour of the arena, visitors will experience firsthand what real athletes do on a daily basis, or, maybe, will lay the foundation for a new sporting career among their children.

The price of a ticket is eight manats ($7.60). Children under 12 and students can obtain tickets for three and five manats respectively. For visitors up to 6 years of age, the tour is free of charge.

For more detailed information, one can visit the arena’s website: www.mga.az, or call +99412 566 96 99.

Designed to host all gymnastics disciplines, the iconic 9,000-seat National Gymnastics Arena is now able to host training sessions for gymnasts participating in international tournaments.

The arena's facilities include two main concourse levels, with welfare facilities and food and beverage outlets, while there is a VIP box on the upper level of the arena. There is also a two-story spacious restaurant with a view of the arena floor.

The arena also meets all requirements for the international media and sponsors expected of today's world-class sporting venues to host international competitions ranging from interview rooms, media control center, and sponsor rooms to press rooms. Within the 24,000 square meters of surrounding landscape designed to complement the arena, an underground car park, capable of accommodating at least 300 vehicles, is available.

The arena was the venue for holding the most exciting event of the 30th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in 2014. The event received the highest rating from experts and managers of the European Gymnastics Union. The World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships will also be held here in 2019.

The creation and development of rhythmic gymnastics in the country dates back to the 1940s. Non-Olympic sports, such as trampoline acrobatics and tumbling originated in the 1920s and 1930s. As a result of the popularization of this sport, over a short period of time, the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation was established in 1956.

Women's artistic gymnastics and aerobics are the youngest disciplines that developed in Azerbaijan in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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