Tacoma to Host 2020 USA Gymnastics Junior Nationals

The Tacoma Dome in Washington will host the 2020 United States Junior Olympic National Championships from May 15–17 with more than 650 female gymnasts vying for national championships in the age-group, developmental event.

The event will feature 12 age divisions that are determined by birth date. Gymnasts will compete in the all-around as well as the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.  The competition schedule will be determined closer to the event.

USA Gymnastics has eight regions, and the top seven gymnasts from each region’s Regional Championships advance to nationals. The winning regions will also be determined at the conclusion of the competition. The top four all-around athletes in each age division qualify for the 2020 U.S. Junior Olympic National Team and are invited to attend a national training camp.

“We are excited to have the U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships return to the Northwest and the Seattle-Tacoma area,” said Annie Heffernon, USA Gymnastics’ vice president of women’s gymnastics. “We believe our athletes will enjoy competing in the Tacoma Dome.”

The Junior Olympic National Championships is the culmination of the competitive season for Level 10, the highest Junior Olympic skill level below the elite level. Many of the country’s top gymnasts are former participants in the Junior Olympic program, including the 2016 Olympic gold-medal winning Final Five (Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman), 2012 Olympic team champions Jordyn Wieber and Kyla Ross, and 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin.

The event’s local partners will be the Tacoma Sports Commission and Emerald City Gymnastics Academy.

“We are thrilled for the opportunity to host the U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships,” said Dean Burke, president and CEO of the Tacoma Sports Commission. “Our partnership with Emerald City Gymnastics Academy and USA Gymnastics has been strong for more than five years. Together we truly set out to grow the sport for this region and to prepare ourselves to host a major championships like this.”