Press Release #1 - Event presentation

2026-05-16
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SOCIETÀ GINNASTICA GRUGLIASCO — SGG TORINO    

Press release  

 

Turin Acro Cup 2026 — XII edition · 3-5 July · Pala Gianni Asti, Turin  

Turin, international capital of acrobatic gymnastics: 326 athletes, 31 clubs and 14 nations at Pala Gianni Asti

 

A record-breaking edition for the number of participating clubs in the history of the event, organised by SGG Torino, which has been bringing the world's leading acrobatic gymnastics clubs to the city since 2013. Among the protagonists, the Italian pair Sofia D'Errico and Camilla Poerio, bronze medallists at the 2025 Junior European Championships.  

The Turin Acro Cup returns to the Pala Gianni Asti (formerly PalaRuffini) from 3 to 5 July 2026 for its XII edition, setting an all-time record for the number of participating clubs. Based on definitive entries, the event will welcome 326 athletes, 134 competing combinations (pairs, trios and groups), 31 clubs and 14 nations representing four continents. The international club competition, organised by A.S.D. Società Ginnastica Grugliasco (SGG Torino) under the aegis of the Italian Gymnastics Federation, confirms its standing as one of the leading appointments on the European calendar for the discipline, and as one of the most relevant summer sporting showcases for the city of Turin.  

Fourteen years in Turin, an international vocation

  Established in 2013, the Turin Acro Cup has accompanied the international July calendar for fourteen consecutive years — with the sole interruptions of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — hosting overall approximately 2,700 athletes in its first eleven editions, with delegations from four continents. The competition is held under the aegis of the Italian Gymnastics Federation.   The 2026 edition marks new all-time records: 31 participating clubs — the highest number ever reached in the history of the event — and 14 nations represented. The competition also marks the debut of three new participating nations: Bulgaria, Denmark and France.  

SGG Torino: from the local community to world-class results

  The A.S.D. Società Ginnastica Grugliasco (SGG Torino), founded in 1999 and affiliated to the Italian Gymnastics Federation and to the Italian Sport for All Union, operates from its technical centre at via Barletta 109/21, in the Santa Rita district, and boasts in its palmarès more than 120 national titles and 14 consecutive titles of Italian Champion Club in Acrobatic Gymnastics (2005-2018). The acrobatic élite section is led by coaches Erica Loiacono, National Technical Director for Acrobatic Gymnastics for the Italian Gymnastics Federation, and Marco Palella, member of the Acrobatic Gymnastics Technical Committee of World Gymnastics for the 2025-2028 cycle.   Between 2023 and 2024, the SGG pair Edoardo Ferraris and Arianna Lucà produced one of the most significant cycles in Italian acrobatic gymnastics, winning at the Junior European Championships in Varna 2023 gold in the dynamic exercise, silver in the balance exercise and silver in the all-around, and then at the Junior World Championships in Guimarães 2024 junior gold — the first Italian gold medal in the history of the Junior World Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships — and silver in the Age Group 13-19 category.   Following in their footsteps, the club's new leading pair Sofia D'Errico and Camilla Poerio won at the Junior European Championships in Luxembourg 2025 bronze in the dynamic exercise, bronze in the balance exercise and bronze in the all-around. The pair will compete at the Turin Acro Cup 2026, offering the Turin public the opportunity to witness live one of the finest expressions of national acrobatic gymnastics. Both pairs are coached by Erica Loiacono and Marco Palella.   These results are complemented by the club's regular participation in the main international club competitions across Europe (Flanders International Acro Cup, Maia International Acro Cup, Geneva Acro Cup, Britain International Tournament, Rzeszów International Acro Cup, NDGA International Cup of London, Dinamic International Acro Cup of Valencia).  

Competition format, categories and programme

  The Turin Acro Cup 2026 will be held in the four disciplines recognised by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG): Women's Pair, Men's Pair, Mixed Pair and Women's Group. The competition is structured in two phases: a qualification phase — consisting of one or two rounds depending on the category — and a final phase reserved for the top finishers in each category, which determines the podiums and the awarding of titles.   The competition categories, in line with international technical regulations, are: Beginners (ages 8-15), Pre-Youth (ages 10-16), Youth (ages 12-18), Junior (advanced competitive category, in accordance with FIG technical regulations) and Senior (highest technical level category).   The event will be held over three days: Friday 3 July with the first round of qualifications, Saturday 4 July with the second round, and Sunday 5 July with the finals and the awarding ceremony, at the Pala Gianni Asti (formerly PalaRuffini), in Viale L. Bistolfi 10 in Turin, one of the city's main sporting facilities. The competition will be broadcast in full integral live streaming through a paid streaming service entirely produced by the organisation, available on the official website turinacrocup.com. Entrance to the venue is free for the entire duration of the event, subject to mandatory ticket reservation through the Eventbrite platform (direct link to tickets).  

The organisational machine: a team with international experience

  The organisation of the Turin Acro Cup is structured around a core of four professional figures with consolidated experience in acrobatic gymnastics and in the management of international sporting events. Marco Palella serves as Event Director since the foundation of the event in 2013, and coordinates all logistical, institutional and operational aspects. Alongside him, Mattia Contardi, co-founder of the Turin Acro Cup, holds the role of Logistics Manager, responsible for the entire logistics chain of the international delegations. Ana Margarida Roque Pires, Competition Director, oversees everything that takes place on the competition floor, from the scheduling of competitions to the awards protocol. Maria Eleonora Fiorenti, Back Office Manager, supervises the administrative and operational management beyond the competition area, from accreditation procedures to jury panel composition.   This management nucleus is supported every year by a network of more than 60 volunteers — coaches, former athletes, families and supporters of Società Ginnastica Grugliasco — who oversee in detail all operational areas of the event: welcoming of delegations, management of the competition area, secretariat, communication, support to juries, internal logistics, set-up and athletes' area. The quality of hospitality offered to international delegations is recognised as one of the reasons that has made the event a much-anticipated appointment on the European calendar for the discipline.  

An event for the city

  The Turin Acro Cup is an appointment of relevance not only from a sporting perspective, but also for its impact on the city's economic and tourism fabric. The presence of delegations from four continents — including athletes, coaches, judges and accompanying persons — represents an opportunity for international promotion of Turin and its hospitality system, in a period — early July — that is traditionally strategic for sports tourism.   The event is also part of SGG Torino's broader educational and sports promotion strategy: starting from 2026, the club will open a second technical centre and expand its educational offer with the launch of new Parkour activities, confirming its role as a local sporting hub and a national reference for youth training.  
 
Indicator Value
Registered athletes 326
Competing combinations (pairs, trios, groups) 134
Registered clubs 31
Nations represented 14
Continents represented 4 (Europe, Asia, Africa, America)
FIG disciplines in competition 4
Days of competition 3 (3-5 July 2026)
Edition XII (twelfth)

Figures based on definitive entries. Updates at press.turinacrocup.com  

Discipline Combinations Athletes Clubs
Women's Group 58 174 23
Women's Pair 53 106 22
Mixed Pair 18 36 14
Men's Pair 5 10 3
TOTAL 134 326 31
Year Ed. Athletes Combinations Clubs Notes
2013 ~265 108 23 Inaugural edition
2014 IIª ~225 92 19
2015 IIIª ~242 99 21
2016 IVª ~252 104 18
2017 ~303 125 34
2018 VIª ~223 89 23
2019 VIIª ~291 118 27
2020 Not held (COVID-19)
2021 Not held (COVID-19)
2022 VIIIª ~140 54 16 First post-COVID edition
2023 IXª ~255 100 27
2024 ~364 141 25 Record of athletes (ed. 1-11)
2025 XIª ~192 77 18
2026 XIIª 326 134 31 Record of clubs

Methodological note: «combination» = single pair, trio or group entered in competition. The «athletes» figure represents the actual number of individuals involved (each combination counts 2, 3 or 4 athletes). Data for the first two editions are historical reconstructions; data from 2015 to 2025 derive from the official archives of the event; 2026 data correspond to definitive entries.  

   

About SGG Torino — Information sheet    

Year of foundation: 1999    

Technical centre: Via Barletta 109/21, 10136 Turin — Santa Rita district    

Affiliations: Italian Gymnastics Federation (FGI), Italian Sport for All Union (UISP)    

President: Roberto Loiacono    

Coaches of the acrobatic élite section: Erica Loiacono — National Technical Director for Acrobatic Gymnastics FGI; Marco Palella — Member of the Acrobatic Gymnastics Technical Committee of World Gymnastics (2025-2028)    

Club palmarès: more than 120 national titles · 14 consecutive titles of Italian Champion Club in Acrobatic Gymnastics (2005-2018)    

Top international result: first Italian gold medal at the Junior World Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics (Guimarães 2024, pair Ferraris/Lucà)    

Leading pair at TAC 2026: Sofia D'Errico and Camilla Poerio — triple bronze at the Junior European Championships in Luxembourg 2025 (dynamic, balance, all-around)    

 Media visibility: final at Italia's Got Talent 2016 (4th place nationally), final at Tu Sì Que Vales 2019  

 

Useful information for the press

 
Event: Turin Acro Cup 2026 — XII edition    
Dates: 3, 4 and 5 July 2026    
Venue: Pala Gianni Asti (formerly PalaRuffini), Viale L. Bistolfi 10 — Turin    
Discipline: Acrobatic Gymnastics (disciplines recognised by the International Gymnastics Federation — FIG)    
Organiser: A.S.D. Società Ginnastica Grugliasco — SGG Torino, under the aegis of the Italian Gymnastics Federation    
Event Director: Marco Palella     Official website: turinacrocup.com     Full live streaming (paid): turinacrocup.com    
Tickets (free entrance with reservation): eventbrite.it/e/turin-acro-cup-2026-tickets-1989544266458    
Dedicated press area: press.turinacrocup.com — includes event sheet, club profile, technical staff and athlete profiles, press releases, media kit (logo, images, fact sheets, brand guidelines), photo gallery and press accreditation form    
Press accreditation requests: press.turinacrocup.com/accrediti     Press office email: info@turinacrocup.com  
 
 

Press office contacts

 
A.S.D. Società Ginnastica Grugliasco — SGG Torino     Via Barletta 109/21, 10136 Turin    
Email: info@turinacrocup.com     SGG Torino website: www.sggtorino.it    
Official event website: turinacrocup.com     Press area: press.turinacrocup.com    
Official event social channels: Facebook (@turinacrocup) · Instagram (@turinacrocup)    
SGG Torino social channels: Facebook (SGGrugliasco) · Instagram (@sggtorino) · TikTok (@sggtorino)    
Project liaison: Marco Palella