The fifth international tournament "Heavenly Grace Cup" has started in Beijing.

Beijing is fascinated by the "Heavenly Grace". A unique rhythmic gymnastics tournament is taking place there. The rules have been specially developed for him, and they are much more complex than the rules of the international federation. "The Heavenly Grace Cup, where every athlete tries to surpass herself, is a cascade of incredibly beautiful and technically very difficult performances. Moreover, artificial intelligence is helping the judges here for the first time. The details are in the report by Izvestia columnist Nikolai Ivanov.

Mysterious China. A civilization with a history of five thousand years.

Beijing became the capital of grace and beauty for three days: it was here that the fifth anniversary international tournament "Heavenly Grace Cup" started.

More than 200 athletes from three dozen countries. This is a tournament record! Moreover, Beijing is hosting the Heavenly Grace Cup for the second time.

"Today we are back in Beijing, and I thank our Chinese friends not only for inviting us, but also for doing a great job to ensure that the tournament was held at the highest level, and athletes from more than 30 countries felt at home. I wish good luck to the participants of the competition! May the strongest win," said Olympic champion, president of the International Association "Heavenly Grace" Alina Kabayeva.

Tournament according to the rules of the International Association "Heavenly Grace". They allow gymnasts to maximize their body's capabilities and creativity. The table of elements has been expanded, and there are skipping rope exercises again, which the International Gymnastics Federation eliminated in 2011. On the initiative of Alina Kabayeva, the skipping rope is again in high esteem.

"The level of this tournament is amazingly high. I am so happy to watch the performances of these young, beautiful, talented gymnasts. And I think it's great to have such a championship where all five subjects are used," says the first Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, Lori Fung.

This is the opinion of the first Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, Lori Fung. Linoy Ashram, Tokyo Olympic champion, Yulia Barsukova, Alexandra Timoshenko, and Evgenia Kanaeva are among the honored guests of the tournament. This is an additional responsibility for the participants of the tournament.

"The rules of Heavenly Grace are wonderful — they encourage gymnasts to get better. By the way, I will be performing an element from Alina Kabayeva's arsenal," South African gymnast Jansen Chade said.

"The rules are more complicated here, but we can score more points for some elements," said Hungarian gymnast Hannah Panna Wiesner.

"We understand that according to the rules of the Heavenly Grace, cleanliness is probably one of the most important things, and therefore we cleaned our legs everywhere, shifting, and also working on our artistry," said Kiryana Shevtsova, a gymnast from the Belarusian team.

Of course, our athletes are among the favorites. The Olympic champion was warmly welcomed by the pupils of the Heavenly Grace Academy.

It's our gymnasts who set the tone here.

"There are so many wonderful children, talented, bright, inspiring. I am here to support the performance of Russian gymnasts. Russia shares its outstanding school with the world. And that's great," said Bulgarian coach and choreographer Neshka Robeva.

For the first time in the history of rhythmic gymnastics, judges are assisted by artificial intelligence. Know-how will come to the rescue when you need to objectively evaluate, for example, such a complex parameter as artistry.

"This is really exciting for us, because although AI was developed by Russian specialists, we know what China can do," said Alina Kabayeva.

"Everyone is talking about the technology that Ms. Kabayeva brought," said the Chinese director.

"It was my idea, and the technology was made by people who are engaged in artificial intelligence," said the Olympic champion.

The tournament space itself is impressive.

"Showgun is a giant sports complex. And the tournament takes place in the hockey arena. The ice was melted here especially for the competition for the convenience of both athletes and spectators," Ivanov said.

Every detail is thought out: orchids, hydrangeas in the "kiss and cry" area. Laser beams that draw the cup directly on the carpet. There are no small things. The Russian and Chinese teams are in constant contact. We put up the numbers for the opening ceremony together.

"As always, I thought it would be very difficult, but that's how everyone quickly put themselves together and understood each other," noted Honored Master of Sports, choreographer Natalia Belugina.

All for the sake of sport and art!

"We have created the best international team to make such a wonderful event. I think this is very important for the combination of Chinese and Russian culture and sports," said Xia Dao, director of the Heavenly Grace International tournament.

"In China, rhythmic gymnastics is treated with the utmost respect. This comes from ancient times: the practice of tao-yin originated in China three thousand years ago: smooth movements, an emphasis on flexibility and a deep spiritual component. What is especially appreciated here," Ivanov concluded.

The fight has begun!

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