A Japanese city known for hosting international gymnastics competitions will welcome Ukrainian rhythmic gymnasts as part of the Japan Gymnastics Association's efforts to support displaced athletes, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.
According to the source, Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, located northwest of Tokyo, has agreed to take in the Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastics team in July and ensure that they can train in a safe environment after fleeing the war in their homeland.
Arrangements are being made to provide accommodation for the 25 members of the national team, including athletes and coaches, and training facilities at Takasaki Arena and other venues for about two weeks.
The team had been training in Ukraine since late February when Russia's invasion began. The conflict has now stretched on for almost four months.
At the suggestion of the International Gymnastics Federation, the governing body of the sport in Japan asked Takasaki to consider accepting the athletes, as the city has previous experience hosting training camps for international teams.
Ukraine has seen success in the sport at the Olympics, with Atlanta Games individual all-around champion Ekaterina Serebrianskaya one to have scaled the heights of the discipline. Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport for women only at the world and Olympic levels.
The Sept. 14 to 18 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, will be the first opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, with individual and group medalists booking their spots in Paris.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee said 51 Ukrainian athletes have been killed as a result of the war. In March, 10-year-old rhythmic gymnast Kateryna Dyachenko died after her home was bombed by Russian forces in Mariupol.