Olympic Candidates Set for Beijing Test Event

Many of the leading contenders for next summer's Olympics are scheduled to compete at the "Good Luck Beijing" test competition, Nov. 28-Dec. 3 in Beijing.

The artistic gymnastics competition will feature men's team, women's all-around, and men's and women's individual event finals.

The Chinese roster includes four of the host country's best females — Cheng Fei (pictured), Jiang Yuyuan, Pang Panpan and Zhou Zhuoru — but its big stars in men's gymnastics are absent. None of the six male gymnasts entered were members of China's gold medal-winning team at the 2007 World Championships in September.

Qualification rounds will take place on Nov. 28, followed by the men's team final and women's all-around final on Nov.29.

The event finals will be divided among three days, as they will be in the 2008 Olympics: men's floor exercise and pommel horse and women's floor exercise and vault on Dec. 1; men's rings and vault and women's uneven bars on Dec. 2; and men's parallel bars and high bar and women's balance beam on Dec. 3.

The "Good Luck Beijing" competition is among a series of sports competitions being conducted by BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee), to test the logistics, facilities and state of preparedness for next summer's Olympic Games.

The current roster of "Good Luck Beijing" competitors includes:

Women

Australia
Dasha Joura
Lauren Mitchell

Belarus
Anastasia Marachkovskaya

Canada
Kristina Vaculik

China
Cheng Fei
Jiang Yuyuan
Pang Panpan
Zhou Zhuoru

Czech Republic
Jana Sikulova

France
Laetitia Dugain
Cassy Vericel

Great Britain
Hannah Clowes
Marissa King

Germany
Anja Brinker
Marie-Sophie Hindermann

Greece
Stefani Bisbikou

Italy
Francesca Benolli
Federica Macri

Japan
Keiki Mukumoto
Miki Uemura

The Netherlands
Verona van de Leur

North Korea
Hong Su Jong

Romania
Gabriela Dragoi
Alina Stanculescu

Russia
Ksenia Afanasyeva
Daria Yelizarova

Switzerland
Ariella K&aauml;slin

Ukraine
Olga Scherbatykh
Daria Zgoba

United States
Chellsie Memmel
Bridget Sloan

Men

Belarus
Dmitry Kasperovich
Igor Kozlov
Denis Savenkov
Dmitry Savitsky
Alexander Tsarevich
Vladimir Yermakov

Canada
Grant Golding
Nathan Gafuik
Jayd Lukenchuk
Brandon O'Neill
Alexander Rayment
Hugh Smith

China
Feng Zhe
Guo Mingsheng
Lu Bin
Lu Bo
Liang Mingsheng
Yan Mingyong

France
Pierre-Yves Beny
Gael Da Silva
Danny Rodrigues
Hamilton Sabot
Raphael Wignanitz
Arnaud Willig

Germany
Philipp Boy
Fabian Hambüchen
Robert Juckel
Marcel Nguyen
Eugen Spiridonov
Robert Weber

Great Britain
Ross Brewer

Greece
Vlasios Maras

Italy
Enzo Bernardoni
Paolo Ottavi

Japan
Yosuke Hoshi
Kenya Kobayashi
Makoto Okiguchi
Kazuhito Tanaka
Kohei Uchimura
Kazuya Ueda

Korea
Kim Dae Eun
Kim Ji Hoon
Kim Soo Myun
Yang Tae Seok
Yang Tae Young
Yoo Won Chul

Puerto Rico
Luis Vargas

Romania
Alin Jivan
Flavius Koczi
Cosmin Malita
Ilie Popescu
Dorin Selariu
Robert Stanescu

Russia
Dmitry Barkalov
Dmitry Gogotov
Sergei Khorokhordin
Kostantin Pluzhnikov
Anatoly Vasilyev
Yevgeny Vasilyev

Spain
Christian Bazan
Isaac Botella
Jose Fernandez
Arkaitz Garcia
Christian Guillem
Sergio Munoz

Switzerland
Claudio Capelli

Ukraine
Vadim Kuvakin

United States
David Durante
Sean Golden
Sho Nakamori
David Sender
Clay Strother
Todd Thornton

IG will be on hand in Beijing for the "Good Luck Beijing" competition, so look for updates on IG Online and in IG Magazine.

External Link: Good Luck Beijing Gymnastics Tournament

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