The championships start on Friday with the first day of the women’s qualification competition. A total of 12 teams together with several groups of individuals will go through their paces during the course of the day. 

The six subdivisions feature teams from Ukraine, Australia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, People’s Republic of Korea, South Korea, Romania, France, China and Canada. 

At stake is Olympic qualification. The top 12 teams after tomorrow’s competition concludes will qualify. Three teams already qualified at the world championships last year in Doha – USA, the Russian Federation and China. 

The USA and Russia compete tomorrow, so today will be a chance to check the credentials of the young Chinese squad, competing in the last subdivision which starts at 8 pm. 

As well as the team Olympic qualification, there are Olympic places available for all gymnasts, with or without a team, and all-around and apparatus finals for later in these championships. The top 24 all-around individuals (with a maximum of two gymnasts per country) and top eight on each apparatus (again, two per country) will proceed to the finals.

Also at stake is a place in the team final here in Stuttgart, which takes place on the 8th October. The top eight teams will qualify to the final. Last year, Germany reached the final and will be hoping to repeat that this year in front of a home crowd.