Aesthetic group gymnastics: A thrilling emerging sport in Sarawak

UPON receiving an event invitation from Sarawak Aesthetic Group Gymnastics Association (SAGGA) secretary Aidwina Aidan Wing recently, I did not think much about it other than the timing being convenient for me to attend.

Reading the details further, I found out that the event was Sarawak Aesthetic Group Gymnastics Carnival 2024 staged at the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) headquarters in Kuching.

“I’m sure you’d want to attend, sir,” said Aidwina in her text via WhatsApp, which I obtained – rather strangely – from our chat in the messenger inbox of the Facebook page of Kuching Division Bodybuilding Association (KDBBA), of which I am the secretary.

It got me wondering – why would she send the invitation to the KDDBA when the event was about aesthetic group gymnastics (AGG).

It was only a few hours before the opening ceremony that I found out that the guest-of-honour would be the nation’s bodybuilding legend, Datuk Malek Noor.

Aidwina was right – indeed, that got me excited.

Also, it was also interesting for me to find out later that Malek, a six-time Mr Asia Heavyweight champion, was the president of the Malaysian Aesthetic Group Gymnastics Association (MAGGA), the national parent body of SAGGA.

Background

Established in 2019, SAGGA provides a platform for individuals of all backgrounds to explore the AGG.

According to Aidwina, AGG has the elements of the more known artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.

“However, it is a group sport, consisting of six to 10 athletes. Thus, teamwork and unity are important.

“Also, the choreography is the expression of the music that accompanies the performance, so the task is making movements that tell a story.

“For example, for this carnival, there are tracks from the movie ‘Sound of Music’, and so you can see how the trainers incorporate the representation of that film into the choreography.

“The assessment focuses on precision in composition and execution, the level of difficulty in the routine, as well as its synchronicity, the essence of teamwork, and the overall artistic impression” she elaborated.

The inaugural carnival, she added, represented the grassroots development advocated by the parent national body, MAGGA.

“The carnival focuses on developing grassroots athletes and expanding the AGG sport in schools, with a new school programme introduced this year,” said Aidwina.

For this carnival, it hosted some 200 young AGG enthusiasts representing 12 teams from Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Melaka.

The teams representing Sarawak are Sarawak Mine Dance Studio, Track & Dance, SJKC Chung Hua No 6, SJKC Chung Hua Batu 4½, SJKC Chung Hua Sungai Lubak and SJKC Chung Hua Sungai Apong – all in Kuching – as well as Rainbow RG Club Sibu.

The teams from the peninsula are ZV Gymdanz Fitness (Kuala Lumpur), D’Arch Academy (Melaka), Kickstart Gymnastics (Selangor), Gym Fun (Selangor), and Rhythmic Belle Dance Academy – SJKC Sungai Chua (Selangor).

The programmes comprised the National Assessment Development (NAD) grading competition, the inter-school challenge, and also the International Federation of AGG (IFAGG)-MAGGA Training Workshop facilitated by international AGG expert Iryna Gutnik from the USA.

‘Started with clubs’

MAGGA council member Norcigi Norizan said the AGG was introduced in Malaysia around 2016.

“It started out with clubs, and for now, only Sarawak has established the association for AGG. In the peninsula, this sport is primarily handled by clubs.

“In Malaysia, the AGG is still new and many confuse it for rhythmic gymnastics. Actually, it is not competing with rhythmic gymnastics, though they do share some elements.

“One thing about the AGG is that it can complement those who have retired from gymnastics.

“Moving forward, we do hope that other states would establish their own AGG associations and in this respect, they can emulate SAGGA,” she said.

Malek chimed in: “Yes, that’s right. In fact, with AGG involving many schoolchildren, we have reached out to the Education Ministry and from there, the plan to incorporate AGG into the school co-curriculum is underway.”

Support, encouragement

Aidwina said with regard to SAGGA, it could not have been possible without the solid support from MAGGA and also the Youth and Sports Ministry, especially through the provision of the Community Sports Fund (DSK).

Nonetheless, she also hailed her father, Datuk Aidan Wing, as ‘a hardcore supporter of the AGG’.

“He has been backing up SAGGA all this while. I’m happy that he attends this carnival and gets to really understand what AGG is all about.

“He appreciates it more than ever,” said Aidwina.

For Malek, his involvement in MAGGA since 2016 reflected his passion for all competitive sports.

“Yes, I started with bodybuilding and I can say I fared quite well in that sport.

“However, I also see the same athleticism aspects in the AGG.

“I love children, and I can see this sport as being a motivational push for them to do really well.

“Through MAGGA, we strive to facilitate the arrangements for them to excel in this sport.

“In this regard, I must praise Sarawak not only for holding this carnival, but also for being a sports powerhouse in Malaysia. The state government is also very, very supportive,” said the multiple Mr Malaysia titleholder, who will turn 70 this November.

Since its establishment in 2019, SAGGA has been dedicated to promoting AGG in Sarawak, resulting in nearly 100 gymnasts taking part in the sport.

With six qualified coaches and judges holding national and international certifications, SAGGA is committed to raising awareness and garnering support for elevating AGG, as well as opening up opportunities for athletes to represent Sarawak at national and international events.

Recognition

The AGG has been recognised internationally as a competitive sport since 1996.

Its origin goes back into ancient Greece, inspired by the concept of natural flowing body movements.

European countries such as Finland and Estonia have been nurturing, developing, practising, and promoting this sport for over 100 years, and have held competitions since the 1950s.

The first international competition was held in Helsinki, Finland in 1996. Throughout the following three years of successful hosting, the idea of establishing a world championship was born.

In June 2000, the first World AGG Championships became a reality in Helsinki. Successive editions have been held since, as shown in the following.

2001 – Tallinn, Estonia
2022 – Prague, Czech Republic
2003 – Graz, Austria
2004 – Sofia, Bulgaria
2005 – Copenhagen, Denmark
2006 – Tampere, Finland
2007 – Varna, Bulgaria
2008 – Toronto, Canada
2009 – Moscow, Russia
2010 – Varna, Bulgaria
2011 – Tartu, Estonia
2012 – Cartagena, Spain
2013 – Lahti, Finland
2014 – Moscow, Russia
2015 – Torshavn, Faroe Islands
2016 – Brno, Czech Republic
2017 – Helsinki, Finland
2018 – Budapest, Hungary
2019 – Cartagena, Spain
2021 – Helsinki, Finland
2022 – Graz, Austria

The 2023 World Championships, which marked its 23rd edition, was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

This year, the international meet will take place in Tartu, Estonia, running from Nov 20 to 24.

Fifteen countries have been participating in the AGG World Championships since its inception, and each year, there are numerous countries around the world developing and practising this sport and are eager to participate in future championships.