We’re back from Rotterdam with our biggest takeaways from the 2026 World Championships: why imposing AI judging a month before Worlds was unfair, how the Netherlands put on an exceptional Worlds, the broken podium and why equipment should be checked every rotation, sabotage chalk, why the United States women need a beam exchange in China, deadlines for non-traveling alternates, and how to fix slow event finals. Plus Morinari Watanabe tells The Athletic his dream is “no judges, only computers,” Ana Bărbosu (ROU) loses her whereabouts appeal, Meta keeps hosting AI-generated abuse videos of young gymnasts, and the Swiss Cup shows off mixed pairs. Also: the Jordan Chiles (USA) documentary Fair Play, Federico Molinari (ARG) convicted of grooming, the death of legendary coach Leonid Arkayev, and your questions on coaches’ travel, starting TeamGym and whether different lineups would have mattered in Rotterdam.
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EVERYONE PODCAST AND VIDEO
BREAKING NEWS AND HEADLINES
- Youth Olympic Games, Dakar: China wins the mixed team event (parallel bars, high bar, uneven bars, beam, and floor for both)
- Meta has been hosting AI-generated videos of coaches inappropriately touching young gymnasts. When a journalist reported ten accounts, Meta said eight didn’t break its rules; they came down only after the journalist called Meta’s press office. Report them, and keep reporting them. (Futurism)
- Swiss Cup mixed pairs: France beats Germany in the final; a zero on vault knocks out the United States
- Ana Bărbosu (ROU) loses her CAS appeal of her whereabouts suspension; it has no effect on her NCAA career at Stanford (NBC Sports)
- Morinari Watanabe to The Athletic: “Our dream is to have no judges, only computers and AI awarding scores”
TAKEAWAYS FROM ROTTERDAM
- Narratives about who can hit under pressure are fleeting: Skye Blakely (USA), Flavia Saraiva (BRA)‘s beam medal
- Imposing AI judging a month before Worlds was unfair; make it free and available to every licensed gymnast
- The Netherlands put on an exceptional Worlds, but equipment and podiums should be checked every rotation
- NCAA makes world champions
- Watch out for sabotage chalk (bedazzle the bucket)
- The U.S. women and coaches need a beam exchange in China
- Non-traveling alternates need deadlines and realistic expectations: Jade Carey (USA)
- Fixing slow event finals: a “no inquiry” button, and alternate men’s and women’s routines
GYMTERNET NEWS
- Breast injuries in gymnastics and why the right sports bra matters (She Leaps)
- Federico Molinari (ARG), London 2012 rings finalist, convicted of grooming
- Legendary Soviet and Russian coach Leonid Arkayev dies at 86 (International Gymnast)
- Fair Play, a documentary about Jordan Chiles (USA), is set for 2027 on Hulu and Disney+ (The Hollywood Reporter)
- World Gymnastics publishes its first official rules for para gymnastics (British Gymnastics)
- Amanda Stroud named USA Gymnastics Women’s Program Director (USA Gymnastics)
- Noblesville may pay up to $37 million for the USA Gymnastics facility (FOX59)
- Greater Atlanta hosts the 2027 American Cup; the 2027 U.S. Championships head to Tampa
YOUR QUESTIONS
- Who pays for college coaches to travel to elite meets with their athletes?
- How do I start coaching a TeamGym program?
- Would any lineup or selection changes have mattered for the U.S. women in Rotterdam? (Plus Italy and Great Britain)
- Should the U.S. require beam backups?
Send us your questions: gymcastic@gmail.com
RELATED
2026 World Championship Headquarters: all 10 of our Rotterdam shows, including the live show
Behind The Scenes: Back From Rotterdam With All The Stories
CHAPTERS
Times are for the podcast. On YouTube, add three seconds.
00:00 Back from Rotterdam + NYC live show with Katelyn Ohashi
01:39 Youth Olympic Games: China wins the mixed team
03:06 Meta hosting AI-generated abuse videos of gymnasts
06:38 Swiss Cup mixed pairs: France beats Germany
11:41 Ana Bărbosu loses her CAS whereabouts appeal
14:55 Watanabe: “Our dream is to have no judges”
17:59 NYC live show and Club Gym Nerd
20:57 Takeaways from Rotterdam: narratives are fleeting
24:16 AI judging a month before Worlds was unfair
24:52 An exceptional Worlds, and checking the podium every rotation
28:04 NCAA makes world champions
29:15 Watch out for sabotage chalk
30:33 A beam exchange in China, and alternates need deadlines
31:55 Fixing slow event finals
36:17 Gymternet news: breast injuries and sports bras
38:11 Federico Molinari convicted; Leonid Arkayev dies at 86
39:38 Jordan Chiles documentary Fair Play
44:24 Para gymnastics rules, Amanda Stroud, Noblesville, American Cup and Champs sites
48:54 Listener Q: who pays for coaches’ travel?
51:33 Listener Q: how to start coaching TeamGym
53:34 Listener Q: would lineup changes have mattered?
57:21 Should the U.S. require beam backups?
1:06:55 Live show reminder and see you Friday
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GYMCASTIC TOOLS, GAMES AND RESOURCES
- Rotterdam Worlds Roster Tracker
- Everyone who competed at the 2026 World Championships — search WAG and MAG by name or country, see how they qualified and link to their score rankings.
- GymCastic tools:
- LA 2028 Roster Lab — Now with auto-fill highest-scoring team, team comparisons and updated roster briefs.
- Elite Score Explorer — U.S. Championships scores are in, plus new charting options and the vault bonus toggle.
- International Gymnastics Calendar
- GymCastic Games
- GymCastic Newsletters
- The Balance Beam Situation: Spencer Barnes’ GIF Code of Points
- Gymnastics History: Gymnastics history and Code of Points archive from Uncle Tim
- Resistance Resources
Cover art © GymCastic / Steve Cooper; Photo by Maleah Pearson. All rights reserved
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