SOFIA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The first event of this year's FIG World Cup circuit in Rhythmic Gymnastics kicked off here in the Arena Armeec Hall on Friday afternoon.

18 teams and 56 gymnasts from 35 countries and regions compete for a total of eight sets of medals.

"In the year when Bulgaria for the first time is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and Sofia is the European capital of sport, it will be a great honor for us to host the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, which will take place in the same hall in September," said Krasen Kralev, Minister of Youth and Sports, at the opening ceremony of the three-day event.

The 2018 FIG World Cup circuit in Rhythmic Gymnastics has four stops in Sofia, Pesaro of Italy, Tashkent of Uzbekistan and Baku of Azerbaijan.