Gymnastics powerhouses coming to Melbourne

Australia will play host to the powerhouses of world gymnastics next year, when the worldâs best descend on Melbourne for the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships.

To be staged from 29th April to 2nd May 2010, more than 300 athletes and officials are expected to attend the biennial event.

Four sports will be on the program, with Hisense Arena hosting the menâs and womenâs gymnastics along with the demonstration sport of acrobatics, whilst the State Netball Hockey Centre will hold trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics.

The Australian team has just returned from London where it experienced one of its most successful world championships campaigns in history.

Two sensational silver medal performances by Perth schoolgirl Lauren Mitchell on the floor and beam, and a bronze to the âprince of the pommelâ Prashanth Sellathurai, helped Australia secure its best ever medal haul at a world championships.

In launching the 2010 event, Gymnastics Australia Chief Exectuive Jane Allen said Australia's world-class gymnasts will compete against some of the strongest gymnastics nations in the world, stating "the Pacific Rim Championships will boast some of the big guns of world gymnastics including China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

"Off the back of our success at the world championships in London, Australia will look to field a full strength team that will include our recent medallists Lauren Mitchell and Prashanth Sellathurai.

"The standard of competition at this event will be extremely high and will provide the perfect preparation for Australia ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi."
Dual world championships silver medallist Lauren Mitchell said she was looking forward to competing against some of her biggest rivals on home soil.

"Many of the girls I competed against at the world champs will be here in Melbourne.

"I now know what it takes to win a medal at a major international event and my performances at the recent world championships have confirmed that I can mix it with the best."

The Pacific Rim Championships will be the first major international event held in Australia since the 2005 world championships where Monette Russo won bronze and the 2006 Commonwealth Games where Australian gymnasts collected 21 medals.

Mitchell added "I was there in the crowd to see Monette Russo win her all-around bronze medal at the world championships in Melbourne back in 2005.

"Her performance really inspired me and hopefully next year I will inspire a new generation of gymnasts who come to watch me compete at the Pacific Rim Championships."

Confirmed participating countries include Australia, USA, China, Japan, Russia, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Chinese Taipei.

Tickets will be available for sale to members of the gymnastics community until 25th January 2010 while public tickets will go on sale on 1st February 2010 via Ticketek (Hisense Arena) and Ticket Master (State Netball Hockey Centre).