The British Olympic Association has announced that British rhythmic gymnasts will be able to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in front of their home crowd.
As the host nation, Great Britain automatically earns one individual place, and one group place at the Olympic Games, if they do not manage to qualify through World or Test Event competitions. Rhythmic Gymnastics was one of 5 sports to sell out during the first phase of ticket sales for the Games – an impressive feat considering the minority of the sport in Britain, where it is usually only shown on TV during the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Britain’s current top gymnast is Francesca Jones, who won a Commonwealth silver medal representing Wales at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The last British Rhythmic gymnast to compete at the Olympics was Hannah McKibbin, who placed 21st in qualifying at the 2004 games in Athens, which is the highest ever placing for a British Rhythmic gymnast.
The British Group squad will also earn an automatic berth to the Olympics, making them the first British team to compete at the Olympic Games since Rhythmic Groups made its debut in 1996. The British Group placed last of the 29 teams at the 2010 World Championships, scoring 33.600, compared to the winning Italian teams score of 55.525.
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