Less than a month after gymnastics festival in Baku within the 1^st European Games, Azerbaijani gymnasts have joined the 2015 World Gymnaestrada started in Finnish Helsinki on July 12. The Gymnaestrada, taking place every four year, attracts attention with the fact that representatives of different gymnastics disciplines, religions, cultures and social standings demonstrate Gala performances. This is a kind of world gymnastics festival which amazes the audience with its colorfulness, spectacular shows and diversity in non-competitive atmosphere.

Despite the fact that representatives of all five continents take part in the Gymnaestrada, it is especially popular among the European countries. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden participated in every single edition since the inaugural event in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) in 1953. But the countries such as Belarus, the Dominican Republic, Mozambique, Peru, Puerto-Rico and Zimbabwe, like us, share a joy of this immense gymnastics show for the first time.

The program consists of the Opening Ceremony, Group Performances, National Afternoons and National Evenings shows, City Performances, FIG Gala and Closing Ceremony.   

A peculiarity of the 15^th World Gymnaestrada in Helsinki is the Midnight Sun Special initiated by the organizers for celebration of Finnish long summer nights and comprises the World Team Performances.

Azerbaijani sportsmen – Elcin Mammadov, Aleksandra Gorobchuk, Aliya Pashayeva, Sabina Garatova, Zeynab Hummatova, Ughur Khalilbayli, Emilya Bagiyeva, Natalya Guliyeva, Yuliia Soloviova, Narmina Huseynova, Mansura Bagiyeva, Seymur Jafarov, Murad Akparov are in the list of 21000 gymnasts-participants of the Gymnaestrada from 53 countries. Their performances consist of the elements of artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatics and aerobic gymnastics, i.e. those gymnastics disciplines they represent. One of two compositions of our national team is executed to the music of the Azerbaijani famous folk music “Sari Galin”.

The exhibitory performances of gymnastics festival lasting for 200 hours in total, will come to an end on June 18.