The 2016 Summer Olympic Games kick off in Rio on Friday 5th August. Every 4 years is a really exciting time for our sport, when audiences world wide are treated to the top gymnastics performances. More and more gymnastics is becoming a popular sport, in Ireland it is currently the Olympic sport with the most participating members. Not only this, Sugarloaf Gymnastics will have a former Olympic Champion visiting us for a week to work with our Squad gymnasts during their camp.
This year we have 2 gymnasts representing Ireland at the Games. Kieran Behan will compete for a second time (read more about him here) and Ellis O’Reilly will be the third gymnast to represent Ireland at the Games (read more about her here), as well as making history as being our first female gymnast to compete. Both gymnasts will compete in Artistic Gymnastics which runs from August 6th – 16th.
We highly recommend that all of our gymnasts tune into the coverage. With our neighbours Great Britain really climbing the ranks on the world stage over the last number of years, there will be an increased amount of television coverage available to us which is fantastic. Our gymnasts will be inspired by the amazing gymnasts at the Games. We have compiled the below information to make it easy for our gymnasts to know when and how to watch the best sport in the world this summer! Hopefully it covers everything you need to know.
Schedule of competition and television coverage
In Ireland, RTE 2 will be the home of the Rio 2016 Olympics coverage with all of the content also available to viewers on RTÉ Player (read more about it here). Coverage will feature a stellar array of expertise on panels across the board, including commentary from top Irish judges Mary and Colm Murray. In addition an RTÉ Rio 2016 app will be available on iOS and Android with live video streaming of every competition session from Rio 2016. Other coverage will also be broadcast on the BBC channels as well as Eurosport.
Below we have tried to give you as much information as possible to be able to watch the gymnastics coverage online. Just to note Ireland is 4 hours ahead of Rio but all times listed are in Irish time. We will try to update this post as much as possible with times of television coverage, once it has been published.
Friday August 5th
- Opening Ceremony 11.30pm – 3.05am RTE 2
Saturday August 6th
- Men’s Qualification for Team, All Around and Event Finals
- Kieran Behan competes in Subdivision 3 between 6.30pm – 9pm (Rio) / 10.30pm – 2am (Ireland)
- Following the final subdivision, it will be known if he has qualified to the All Around or Apparatus finals
Sunday 7th August
- Women’s Qualification for Team, All Around and Event Finals
- Ellis O’Reilly competes in Subdivision 1 between 9.45am – 11.15am (Rio) / 1.45pm -3.45pm (Ireland)
- Following the final subdivision it will be known if she has qualified to the All Around or Apparatus finals
Monday 8th August
- Men’s Team Finals (featuring top 8 teams from qualification)
- BBC One: 8.30pm – 10pm
Tuesday 9th August 8pm – 10.15am (Irish time)
- Women’s Team Finals (featuring top 8 teams from qualification)
- BBC One: 8pm – 10pm
Wednesday 10th August 8pm – 11pm (Irish time)
- Men’s All Around final (featuring top 24 from qualification – BUT only 2 per country can compete)
- BBC One: 8pm
Thursday 11th August 8pm – 10.10pm (Irish time)
- Women’s All Around final (featuring top 24 from qualification – BUT only 2 per country can compete)
- BBC One: 8pm
Sunday 14th August 6pm – 9pm (Irish time)
- Event Finals – MAG Floor, Pommel Horse. WAG Bars & Vault (featuring top 8 per event, also 2 per country rule applies)
- BBC One: 6:45pm
Monday 15th August 6pm – 8.15pm (Irish time)
- Event Finals – MAG Rings & Vault, WAG Beam(featuring top 8 per event, also 2 per country rule applies)
- BBC One: time TBC
Tuesday 16th August 6pm – 8.15pm (Irish time)
- Event Finals – MAG Vault & P Bars, WAG Floor (featuring top 8 per event, also 2 per country rule applies)
- BBC One: time TBC
The BBC website will offer live streaming coverage.
How it works
Our International Gymnastics Federation (the FIG) have compiled these fantastic videos on how the competition works in both Men’s and Women’s artistic gymnastics.
Who to look out for?
In the Women’s competition 19 year old Simone Biles from the USA, the current 3 time consecutive All Around World Champion, is expected to dominate the competition, with the USA tipped to win the Team competition as well as placing among the medals in the Individual events. Our neighbours Great Britain have been on the rise for the last number of years and on the back of winning team bronze at the 2015 World Championships, they are considered to be in with a shot of a medal. Of course be on the look out for powerhouses Russia and China. Individually you should take note of Oksana Chusovitina, representing Uzbekistan, who at age 41 (a mother of 2 children) is entering her 7th Olympic Games!North Korea’s Hong Un Jong may be the first female to compete a triple twisting Yurchenko on Vault. It’s impossible to list everyone as there are so many “one’s to watch” but this is the top of the crop in the world!
Current Title Holders from London 2012
- Team: 1. USA, 2. Russia, 3.Romania
- All Around: 1. Gabby Douglas (USA), 2. Viktoria Komova (RUS), 3.Aliya Mustafina (RUS)
- Beam: 1.Deng Linlin (CHN), 2.Sui Lu (CHN), 3.Aly Raisman (USA)
- Bars: 1.Aliya Mustafina (RUS), 2. He Kexin (CHN), 3. Beth Tweddle (GBR)
- Vault: 1.Sandra Izbasa (ROU), 2.McKayla Maroney (USA), 3. Maria Paseka (RUS)
- Floor: 1.Aly Raisman (USA), 2.Catalina Ponor (ROU), Aliya Mustafina (RUS)
In the Men’s competition, everyone will be watching to see if 6 time consecutive All Around World Champion Kohei Uchimura (Japan),often described as “Super Man” or “Super Human” by his peers, will retain his Olympic AA title. Kenzo Shirai also of Japan will be hoping to become the gymnast to successfully compete a Yurchenko vault with 3.5 turns and have it named after him in the code of points. Other notable gymnasts are from Great Britain, such as Max Whitlock. The Dutch team will be looking to impress following their historic qualification to the Olympic Games. Arthur Zanetti of the home team Brazil will be looking to retain his Still Rings title.
Current Title Holders from London 2012
Team: 1. China, 2. Japan, 3.Great Britain
All Around: 1. Kohei Uchimura (JPN, 2. Marcel Nguyen (GER), 3.Danell Leyva (USA)
Pommel Horse: 1. Kristian Berki (HUN), 2.Louis Smith (GBR), 3. Max Whitlock (GBR)
Vault: 1. Yang Hak Seon (KOR), 2.Denis Ablyazin (RUS), 3.Igor Radivilov (UKR)
Parallel Bars:1. Feng Zhe (CHN), 2. Marcel Nguyen (GER), 3.Hamilton Sabot (FRA)
Still Rings: 1.Arthur Zanetti (BRA), 2.Chen Yibing (CHN), 3. Matteo Morandi (ITA)
High Bar: 1. Epke Zonderland (NED), 2. Fabian Hambuechen (GER), 3. Zou Kai (CHN)
Floor: 1. Zou Kai (CHN), 2. Kohei Uchimura (JPN), 3. Denis Ablyazin (RUS)
We hope that you have enjoyed this information and that our gymnasts will tune in and be inspired. We are more than happy for other clubs to share/copy the information, but please credit us with it as a lot of work went into researching the times, schedule etc.
