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PHOTOS: 1st Annual GK Cup Shanghai Gymnastics International Invitational

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A local sports club hosted the GK Cup Shanghai Gymnastics Invitational on Saturday. During the competition, local and expatriate female gymnasts between the ages of 7 and 19 held a series of sub-competitions on a variety of disciplines including balance beam, vault, asymmetric bars and floor exercises.

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As most of the participants were not professional gymnasts, the three-hour event was punctuated with a number of falls and spills, most notably during the difficult asymmetric bars competition. But their shortcomings – oftentimes literally due to the young competitors’ diminutive sizes – were overlooked by the audience thanks to the girls’ grace and good humor, all who smiled and got back on their feet to finish their performances.

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“Practicing gymnastics can strengthen the players’ resolve. These girls become stronger when facing difficulties,” said Chen Guoyou, one of the competition’s organizers.

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“It’s a sport which you have to constantly work on, keeping focus and doing the same routine many times until you manage it,” said Andreas Hillebrand, an 8-year-old girl’s father. “From this sport my daughter can learn discipline. She also has learned that if you work hard you can succeed.”

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Many of the participants said that they have devoted all their free time to practicing their craft, such as Wang Ying, a 10-year-old gymnast from Shanghai Gymnastics Team who takes lessons every day after school. “When I learn a new routine, and can finish it well after exercising and working hard, I will feel very happy,” said Wang.

“She always tells me that she is happiest when practicing gymnastics,” said Huang Yunxia, a mother of a 10-year-old amateur gymnast while taking photos of her daughter’s competition at the event.

Local sports club Shanghai Gymnastics hosted the invitational, which was held at the Shanghai Luwan Gymnasium. The Australian code of rules was applied by judges for the beginner levels while the FIG code of rules was applied for optional levels.

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Organizers claim that it was the first time Chinese beginner gymnasts had an opportunity to participate in a gymnastics competition not sponsored by the government in China. “Although not everyone can be a professional gymnast, those who are interested in this sport can still enjoy it. We want to establish the concept of happy gymnastics in China,” Chen told the Global Times.

Global Times – Huang Meitao contributed to this story

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