Men Yulo might be at the Asian Games

[ArnoldRimmer]

According to this article

https://www.philstar.com/sports/2023/05/29/2269978/yulo-eyed-asian-games-instead-world-gymnastics-tilt

One wouldn’t think he’d have any trouble qualifying to Paris through a 2024 route instead, but it still seems risky. Also the article suggests he’d clean up at the Asian Games because the best are at worlds instead, but surely that won’t be true of China MAG?

 

[IratePanda]

China will probably send their best MAG, yes.

The timing of the Asian Games is just dreadful for gymnastics.

 

[RedBirdie]

I read that article and had the same reaction. Unless a disaster occurs he’ll qualify in 2024, but why take that risk?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

It’s very unfortunate. The original 2022 dates weren’t quite so bad, it would’ve been gruelling but at least potentially doable to attend both.

Also do we know what Japan MAG are likely to do?

 

[IratePanda]

It’s very unfortunate. The original 2022 dates weren’t quite so bad, it would’ve been gruelling but at least potentially doable to attend both.

Also do we know what Japan MAG are likely to do?

Not yet, but if China’s using their A-team, Japan might follow suit. It’s all very fraught.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Juicy!

But if so, that’s going to be the best chance at a world title that either GB or the US are ever likely to get.

 

[irichluck21]

Japan and China have that luxury considering they are qualified to Worlds already.
Yulo is not, so it is fascinating to me that he plans to go to Asian Games over Worlds and risk Paris qualification.

 

[RedBirdie]

It didn’t read to me like Yulo has much choice in the matter. Philippines wants him to clean up at Asian Games, so that’s where he’ll go.

Ironically, if China and Japan send A teams to Asian Games, Yulo would stand a better chance of medaling at worlds.

 

[Hatsumomo]

Yeah, this whole thing is a complete gamble on a few fronts. Go to the Asian Games instead of Worlds and later risk having a bad meet or ill-timed injury next year that destroys qualifying to Paris. Go to the Asian Games with the idea of cleaning up the medals and propping up the Philippines, but China and Japan send their A-teams.

 

[RedBirdie]

I’m concerned that the Philippines gymnastics federation, along with the Philippines Olympic Committee, does not fully understand qualifying to Paris. They kept saying worlds is the first of many qualification opportunities. But there are not “many.” The apparatus route is an incredibly risky gamble. Do they understand the World Cup, while made up of 4 events, is really only 1 qualifying event? Because I’m not convinced they do.

They’re going to force him out of worlds, the single biggest chance to qualifying to Paris…for what? Some medals at Asian Games, an event the wider gymnastics community doesn’t care about? Its absolute madness.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

There’s also still the possibility, isn’t there, that Russian athletes will be able to qualify through the world cup next year? I know the mooted rules may present some of them with a problem, but it’s up in the air how that will be interpreted. So it’s conceivable that this would be Yulo missing out on a world championships where the two best teams on the planet and the reigning Olympic champions aren’t there, and instead trying to qualify as an individual through a process that was never designed to accommodate one of the best programmes in the world but suddenly has to.

It is a complicated situation and there are a lot of ifs and buts. Equally, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect people who actually work in this area to have thought it through.

I can see that it might be like a CWG thing, where people inside the sport understand that it’s not as prestigious as other titles, but the general public attach more importance to the multisport competition, so the focus makes more sense from a commercial and promotion perspective. But surely the Olympics is the biggest deal of them all?

 

[IratePanda]

Yes, and Yulo is an absolute rock star at home in the Philippines and throughout SE Asia. I think there would be mass outrage if he didn’t compete at the Olympics.

 

[IratePanda]

It's final: Carlos Yulo to prioritize world championships over Asian Games

Gymnastics chief Cynthia Carrion says the federation is firm on sending Carlos Yulo to the world championships despite pleas from the POC for him to compete in the Asian Games

www.rappler.com

 

[Hatsumomo]

Oh good. Thank the gym gods that somebody was rubbing a few brain cells together. I don’t know why the Philippine Olympic Committee is determined to potentially have their star gymnast miss out on the Olympics.

 

[RedBirdie]

Sanity prevails, huzzah.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Stand down!