Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordinated. Rhythmic gymnastics is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which first recognized it as a sport in 1963. It became an Olympic sport in 1984 with an individual all-around event. The group all-around competition was added to the Olympics in 1996. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport. The most prestigious competitions, besides the Olympic Games, are the World Championships, World Games, European Championships, European Games, the World Cup Series and the Grand Prix Series. Gymnasts are judged on their artistry, execution of skills, and difficulty of skills, for which they gain points. They perform leaps, balances, and rotations along with handling the apparatus.
Gymnastics is a popular sport in Azerbaijan.
Marina Sergeyevna Durunda is a retired Ukrainian-born Azerbaijani individual rhythmic gymnast.
Lala Yusifova is a retired Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast.
Alexandra Piscupescu is a retired Romanian rhythmic gymnast. She is a 6-time Romanian national champion.
Laura Yihan Zeng is an American former individual rhythmic gymnast. She represented the United States at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. She swept all of the events at the 2015 Pan American Games and at the 2018 Pan American Championships. She is the 2014 Youth Olympic and 2019 Summer Universiade all-around bronze medalist and the 2019 Grand Prix Final hoop bronze medalist. She is an eight-time national all-around champion, six times at the senior level and twice at the junior level (2013-14).
Mariana Vasileva-Toteva is an Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnastics trainer of Bulgarian origin who is the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan and Head coach of the Azerbaijan Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.
The National Gymnastics Arena is an indoor arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. The venue is mainly used for gymnastics.
Anastasiya Prasolova was an Azerbaijani group rhythmic gymnast, and is a coach.
Valeria Yegay was an Azerbaijani group rhythmic gymnast. She represented her nation at international competitions.
Arina Alexandrovna Tsitsilina is a Russian-born group rhythmic gymnast representing Belarus. She is a five-time World bronze medalist and the 2016 European champion in 5 ribbons. She also is the 2016 European group all-around silver medalist and the 2021 European team silver medalist. She represented Belarus at the 2016 and the 2020 Summer Olympics finishing fifth in the group all-around both times. She is the 2015 European Games 6 Clubs + 2 Hoops champion and the 2019 European Games group all-around and 3 hoops + 4 clubs champion.
Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation Public Association is the overall governing body of the sports of gymnastics in Azerbaijan.
Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva is an Australian Olympic rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games clubs champion, team silver medalist, and all-around bronze medalist. She also won two bronze medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She is a four-time Australian all-around champion. She won the all-around at the 2024 Oceania Championships and thus will represent Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She won five bronze medals at the 2022 Maccabiah Games and has competed at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships five times.
Samira Arastunovna Mustafaeva is a Russian and Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast. She is a multiple time medalist of the World Team Championships, a champion in St. Petersburg, “Master of Sport” in Russia, and a world-class gymnast according to FIG. She was part of the national team of Azerbaijan, and later became part of the Russian national team. She retired from her career in professional rhythmic gymnastics in 2013.
Arzu Jalilova is an Azerbanjani rhythmic gymnast. Arzu Jalilova is a silver and bronze medalist of the 1st World Youth Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship, and a bronze medalist of the European Championship. She is also a prize winner of many local and international tournaments in rhythmic gymnastics.
Yelyzaveta Luzan is a Ukrainian-born Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast. As a member of the Azerbaijan group, she is the 2022 World 3 Ribbons + 2 Balls bronze medalist. She is the 2020 European group all-around silver medalist and 2022 European group all-around bronze medalist. She represented Azerbaijan at the 2020 Summer Olympics. As an individual, she represented Azerbaijan at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics and won a gold medal in the mixed team event.
Zohra Aghamirova is an Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Siyana Vasileva is a retired Azerbaijani group rhythmic gymnast from Bulgaria. She is the 2014 European 3 Balls + 2 Ribbons silver and the 2018 European 3 Balls + 2 Ropes bronze medalist.
Alina Gozalova is an Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast. She represent her country in international competitions.
İlona Zeynalova is an Azeri rhythmic gymnast. She represents her country at international competitions.
Azerbaijan
