Acrobatics Ready to Take Centre Stage in Pesaro

Nazrin Zeyniyeva, Anahita Bashiri and Zahra Rashidova © Pinterest

The world’s best acrobatic gymnasts are heading to Pesaro, Italy, for one of the most spectacular events on the gymnastics calendar. The 30th Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships will take place from 24 to 27 September 2026 at the Vitrifrigo Arena, bringing together elite athletes from around the world. 

Acrobatic gymnastics is a discipline built around partnership. Unlike artistic gymnastics, where athletes generally compete individually or as members of a team, acrobatic gymnasts perform in carefully coordinated pairs and groups. Their routines combine strength, flexibility, balance, throws, catches, tumbling and choreography, all performed to music.

Five categories, 16 medal opportunities

The competition features five senior categories: Men’s Pair, Women’s Pair, Mixed Pair, Women’s Group and Men’s Group. Pairs and groups perform three types of routines: Balance, Dynamic and Combined.

Balance routines focus on controlled strength and stability. Gymnasts create impressive static positions and pyramids, often requiring one athlete to support another in highly demanding poses.

Dynamic routines are faster and more explosive. The smaller athlete — often called the “top” — can be thrown high into the air before completing twists, somersaults or other elements and being caught by their partners.

The Combined routine brings elements of both styles together.

The championships also include a team competition based on qualification results, bringing the total number of medal opportunities to 16.

The official provisional registration listed 252 athletes from 30 countries, including 19 men’s pairs, 18 women’s pairs, 20 mixed pairs, 30 women’s groups and 12 men’s groups. 

Athletes to watch

One of the most closely followed men’s pairings will be the American brothers Vsevolod and Yaroslav Ossolodkov. According to World Gymnastics, they have remained unbeaten throughout 2026 and will face competition from Belarus, Ukraine and the reigning 2024 world champions Daniel Abbasov and Murad Rafiyev of Azerbaijan. 

The Men’s Group competition could provide some of the most visually spectacular moments of the championships. Four gymnasts work together to create large pyramids and execute dynamic releases, with the top gymnast being launched into the air and caught after completing difficult acrobatic elements.

In the Women’s Group category, 30 groups are registered, making it the largest category at the championships. Azerbaijan’s Nazrin Zeyniyeva, Anahita Bashiri and Zahra Rashidova are among the names to follow after their success in the 2026 World Cup series.

The Women’s Pair field includes World Cup series champions Rony Cohen and Shiraz Sokolovsky of Israel, while the Mixed Pair competition features Yevfrosyniia Kryvytska and Ivan Labunets of Ukraine, the 2025 World Games champions.

Pesaro’s gymnastics connection

Pesaro has become a familiar destination for international gymnastics. The city hosted the 2024 Aerobic Gymnastics World Championships, and its experience with major gymnastics events makes it a natural setting for another global competition. 

The 2026 championships are particularly significant as they mark the 30th edition of the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. With international partnerships, spectacular throws and catches, and routines that combine athletic difficulty with choreography, Pesaro is set to put one of gymnastics’ most collaborative disciplines firmly in the spotlight.

The senior competition begins on 24 September, with the final results to be determined during the championships.

Source: article on gymnastics.sport published September 22, 2026.

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By Vitalina Andrushchenko, Staff Writer