Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships 2022 in Sofia: Preview, schedule, and how to watch the stars in action at the Paris 2024 Qualifier
Can Daria Atamanov add world gold to her stellar senior debut season? Competition takes place from 14-18 September with six spots at the next Olympic Games available and coverage on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com
The 2022 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, will see the sport’s first qualifying spots for the Paris 2024 Games awarded with the individual and group all-around medallists earning Olympic berths for their national Olympic committees.
There will also be gold, silver, and bronze on the line in all-around and apparatus competition in both individual and group competition, as well as an overall team event.
With action set to begin on Wednesday, 14 September, here’s a look at the schedule, the women to watch, and how to livestream the Paris 2024 Qualifier event where you are, including on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (see below).
Stars to watch – 2022 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships – Sofia, Bulgaria
The battle for all-around gold will likely be between Israel’s Daria Atamanov and Bulgaria’s Boryana Kaleyn. The duo finished first and second, respectively, at June’s European Championships.
Atamanov is competing in her first season as a senior, having had a breakout year. She finished second in her season debut at the World Cup in Athens and fourth at the World Cup in Baku. Her European Championships campaign included silvers in hoop, ribbon, and clubs, in addition to her all-around gold. Atamanov is taking on the baton from fellow Israeli Linoy Ashram who won the all-around gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021 before retiring from the sport.
For Kaleyn, fifth at Tokyo 2020 and fourth at the 2021 worlds, the season has seen many triumphs including all-around gold at the World Cup in Sofia and individual event golds at both the Europeans and World Games.
Other contenders for individual all-around world gold and the Paris Olympic qualification spots include Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli, who won the World Cup in Athens, and Bulgaria’s Stiliana Nikolova, the European bronze medallist.
With Russia and Belarus not allowed in competition, no matter who wins it will be historic as no non-Russia has taken all-around gold at the event since Ukraine’s Anna Bessonova won in 2007.
In the group competition, 2022 European medallists Israel, Italy, and Azerbaijan will be the favourites for the podium again in Sofia. Bulgaria, which won Olympic gold a season ago, will also contend.
Russian teams have won the last five group all-around titles.
Schedule – 2022 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships – Sofia, Bulgaria
Below is the event schedule. All times are local to the event, which is Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), and is 3 hours ahead of GMT/UTC.
Wednesday 14 September
09:30-19:10 – Individual qualifying (hoop and ball)
21:00-22:22 – Individual apparatus finals (hoop and ball)
Thursday 15 September
09:30-19:13 – Individual qualifying (clubs and ribbon)
21:00-22:22 – Individual apparatus finals (clubs and ribbon)
Friday 16 September
14:30-19:00 – Group all-around competition
Saturday 17 September
14:45-17:00 – Individual all-around final (Group B, rank 10-18)
17:15-19:30 – Individual all-around final (Group A, rank 1-9)
Sunday 18 September
15:03-16:30 – Group apparatus finals (5 Hoops, 3 Ribbons + 2 Balls)
How to watch – 2022 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships – Sofia, Bulgaria
The World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships will be shown on television around the world, with digital livestreaming also available.
Fans in some areas can watch the competition for free on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympic Games apps for mobile and connected devices (territorial restrictions apply).
There will also be coverage on the FIG YouTube channel.
For more details of TV broadcast coverage and how to watch gymnasts qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics in your region, visit the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) website.