2026 African Championships (Worlds Qualification)

[MaryClare]

I think the simplest solution would be some sort of official points system like FIFA uses to determine world rankings and tournament allocations

 

[makam]

It's too bad they can't make the first team worlds of a quad and "open" worlds and let any country send their team with ranking determining who gets invited the next time or making updated continental quotas. Because there are some emerging Asian teams, and I have hopes that Mexico is going to break through one day. I could see Europe losing one of their 13 quota spots to Asia in the next decade. Maybe they could make 1 spot a floating spot and either bestow it on the best team who missed the current quota, or a random draw of all teams that just missed.

I guess they could run an open team world cup tournament in different regions (not just over in Europe/Middle East and use the results from that and continental Champs to determine teams invited. (Tell the member nations in the Americas and Africa and Asia that if they want a chance at a worlds spot and not depend on being top 1 or 3 or whatever at the continental champs, pool some money and set the event up. If at least 5 teams show up, from anywhere in the world, top team gets a worlds spot outside continental quotas.)

As for the dual citizen issue, if bringing in outside "ringers" boosts the local interest and supports the local talent by giving them an extra teammate or two so they can actually qualify a team, then it feels okay. If the whole team is made up with the ringers, that feels wrong and shouldn't be encouraged.

 

[makam]

To some extent, the world championship and Olympics will probably need to make a determination: is it more important to them that they get the best gymnasts, or that they have geographic diversity? Both goals seem unlikely to be met at the same time.

I always felt that Worlds should be about the best gymnasts, even if that meant they were all Romanian or whatever, while the Olympics should be about diversity. At least, if your fed has the money to send a gymnast to europe/ME, the world cup circuit can qualify you. Unfortunately, that is hard to do for gymnasts living far away or from poorer feds, and the results don't carry over in any way (right?), so you keep having to do it every year. Tennis players ranking doesn't wipe clean each year so if they have to take time off to rehab an injury, they don't completely fall out of ranking (unless they were very low to begin with).

 

[Aizheng]

I always felt that Worlds should be about the best gymnasts, even if that meant they were all Romanian or whatever, while the Olympics should be about diversity. At least, if your fed has the money to send a gymnast to europe/ME, the world cup circuit can qualify you. Unfortunately, that is hard to do for gymnasts living far away or from poorer feds, and the results don't carry over in any way (right?), so you keep having to do it every year. Tennis players ranking doesn't wipe clean each year so if they have to take time off to rehab an injury, they don't completely fall out of ranking (unless they were very low to begin with).

The issue with that, to some extent, is of course that worlds currently serves as qualifier to the Olympics, and, importantly, as the only team qualifier. If you as a team don’t advance to 2027, then you also won’t be in the Olympics (again, as a team), if I understand it correctly?

Also, if worlds was about getting the “best” gymnasts, regardless of origin, then why have 2-per-country etc. rules?

 

[MaryClare]

A few people on X have raised an interesting point. Why are we celebrating France-2 taking a spot away from an African team that has a homegrown programme?

 

[KristyJ]

A few people on X have raised an interesting point. Why are we celebrating France-2 taking a spot away from an African team that has a homegrown programme?

I was gonna say, one of the above posts worries about people from other countries moving to less represented countries, but isn't that exactly what is already happening?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I was gonna say, one of the above posts worries about people from other countries moving to less represented countries, but isn't that exactly what is already happening?

You may mean me? If so, it was in reply to a suggestion that Africa be given an extra team quota to try and encourage/reward home grown programmes. There's a risk the number of dual citizens would increase further to absorb any berths that aren't specifically designated for people who do train/have trained a certain amount within the country.

Nothing wrong in that in itself, but it potentially does nullify any attempts to get more home grown athletes at worlds. I tend to think if that's a problem that needs solving, better to go directly to source.

 

[irichluck21]

Algeria isn't the first nor the last.
Philippines did it, Belarus did it- though that was non-dual citizenship.
Haiti, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados, Cayman Islands, I am sure I am missing several.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Of course not. Dual citizens choosing to compete not for the country they live in isn't a remotely new thing. Marissa Dick of 2016 Trini controversy was born and trained in Canada. Dom Cunningham and Halle Hilton came through the British system initially and chose to switch to Ireland later on. Uche Eke who got the African continental spot in 2021 was born and lived all his life in the US. Before the Paris Filipina delegation there was Lizzy LeDuc.

There are loads, which is not surprising because dual citizenship is really common.

 

[makam]

Are all the Algerian athletes French born? If so, not great, if not, well those Algerian born gymnasts likely wouldn't get to do a Worlds team competition without the score boost Nemour brings. 1 or 2 could make it as individuals with WC events and then never get out of qualies. Nemour would make any non-politically-decided French team, her bringing her talents to her other country could bring the money and attention to help the sport even after she retires. (It might not, but it is a possibility)

/If Simone wanted to make her comeback as a Belize athlete, I wouldn't say a thing other than "you do you, GOAT."

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Are all the Algerian athletes French born? If so, not great, if not, well those Algerian born gymnasts likely wouldn't get to do a Worlds team competition without the score boost Nemour brings. 1 or 2 could make it as individuals with WC events and then never get out of qualies. Nemour would make any non-politically-decided French team, her bringing her talents to her other country could bring the money and attention to help the sport even after she retires. (It might not, but it is a possibility)

/If Simone wanted to make her comeback as a Belize athlete, I wouldn't say a thing other than "you do you, GOAT."

As far as I could google, Khenoun and Hamames Mouallic are French born and trained. The fifth member, Sihem Hamidi was born in Algeria. She wouldn't have got the opportunity to go to worlds without the formerly French gymnasts switching, but I presume the point is neither will most of the South Africans now for the same reason. And if we accept that a Worlds team could bring greater opportunity to a programme, that's no less true of South Africa than Algeria, especially since they have an existing programme and some infrastructure already.

That said, does worlds allocation have to take any of this into account anyway? There's an argument it shouldn't. It does inevitably mean programmes from poorer countries end up with more scrutiny than when, say, a formerly British athlete switches to Ireland. Plus too many people (not here) think it means they get to pronounce on who's really more what.

And as one with dual citizen kids and lots of family members with multiple options, I won't pretend I wouldn't do the same.

 

[MaryClare]

As far as I could google, Khenoun and Hamames Mouallic are French born and trained. The fifth member, Sihem Hamidi was born in Algeria. She wouldn't have got the opportunity to go to worlds without the formerly French gymnasts switching, but I presume the point is neither will most of the South Africans now for the same reason. And if we accept that a Worlds team could bring greater opportunity to a programme, that's no less true of South Africa than Algeria, especially since they have an existing programme and some infrastructure already.

That said, does worlds allocation have to take any of this into account anyway? There's an argument it shouldn't. It does inevitably mean programmes from poorer countries end up with more scrutiny than when, say, a formerly British athlete switches to Ireland. Plus too many people (not here) think it means they get to pronounce on who's really more what.

And as one with dual citizen kids and lots of family members with multiple options, I won't pretend I wouldn't do the same.

Hamidi was born in Algeria but has lived in France since a young age

 

[Peridot]

I have seen some very impressive videos of African athletes (unsure which country) competing on foam mats. It would be amazing ti see what they could do with decent equipment. Do these athletes ever get the chance to compete internationally?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I've a feeling the first is Cameroon from last year.

 

[irichluck21]

Full Results:

2026 African Championships Results

Results from the 2026 African Championships, held from April 23 through April 26 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

thegymter.net

Algeria swept.
Nemour won everything but VT and Laroui won VT.

Team: as already mentioned other than the top 3, Nambia was 4th and Cameroon 5th

 

[RichardL]

I love this from Rooskrantz. Clean up some details (particularly the low-bar pirouette and some of the casts to handstand) and this could be a Worlds EF routine.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I love this from Rooskrantz. Clean up some details (particularly the low-bar pirouette and some of the casts to handstand) and this could be a Worlds EF routine.

Really hoping to see her with CWG hardware once again. There aren't many Commonwealth gymnasts who've cracked 14 this quad yet.

 

[Matilda23]

Has Caitlin Rooskrantz qualified to ‘26 Worlds as an individual? Or how many WAG is South Africa allowed to send to Worlds?

 

[RedBirdie]

Yes, Rooskrantz qualified to worlds via a continental AA spot.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Has Caitlin Rooskrantz qualified to ‘26 Worlds as an individual? Or how many WAG is South Africa allowed to send to Worlds?

Yes, she's qualified as one of the individual continental AAers. Africa has 5, and there's a 2 per country limit through that route. I forget how many individuals a country is allowed through all different routes, is it 4?