The final chance for Olympic team qualification will take place in early January and the Canadian men's and women's teams are in good position to advance. 

 

The men will be represented by the exact same team that finished 12th place at the World Championships in Tokyo, but the women's team is yet to be decided. Selected gymnasts will participate in a trial December 27-31 in Gatineau, Quebec and the team will be announced at the conclusion of the camp. 

 

Attending the camp are: 

Talia Chiarelli (Bluewater/Brestyan's) 

Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto of Montreal (Gym-Richelieu)

Madeline Gardiner (Dynamo)

Mikaela Gerber (Oakville Gymnastics)

Peng Peng Lee (Oakville Gymnastics)

Victoria Moors (Dynamo)

Dominique Pegg (Bluewater)

Brittany Rogers (Flicka) 

Anysia Unick (Stampede City)

Kristina Vaculik (Gemini)

Natalie Vaculik (Gemini)

 

Of these eleven girls seven will be selected, included one reserve, to travel to England. 

 

The 2011 World team of Gardiner, Gerber, Lee, Coralie Leblond-Chartrand, Pegg, Vaculik, and Chiarelli as alternate finished 11th place in Tokyo. 

 

The first year seniors hoping to make an impact are Victoria Moors and Natalie Vaculik. However, surprisingly absent from this list is new senior and 2010 junior national champion Sabrina Gill. 

 

This competition is extremely important for teams like Canada as it is the final opportunity to qualify a full team to the 2012 London Olympics. Eight teams will be fighting for the top 4 positions in order to advance. 

 

The women's team will be up against Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Brazil, Korea, and Belgium. The men will face France, Great Britain, Spain, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Italy, and Belarus. 

 

The Canadian men's team will be:

Nathan Gafuik of Calgary

Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C.

Jayd Lukenchuk of Saskatoon

Kevin Lytwyn of Stoney Creek, Ont.

Brandon O’Neill of Edmonton

Jackson Payne of Edmonton

Casey Sandy of Brampton, Ont.

 

The Canadian men qualified and finished 9th place as a team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Nathan Gafuik leading the charge. The women failed to qualify a team in 2008 after finishing 10th in 2004. If they can avoid the mistakes they make in Tokyo they should be in the clear for the 2012 Games. 

Competition will begin with the men on January 10th and will take place at the 2012 Olympic venue. 

Source: GymCan
Related: more on Olymic gymnastics qualification