The American Cup, currently known as the AT&T American Cup through a sponsorship arrangement, is an elite senior level international gymnastics competition held in the United States. It is usually held in March or February of each year. In 2011, it became part of the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series. With the exception of 2005 (when the competition was also part of the FIG World Cup series), it has been exclusively an all-around competition. Past champions include Olympic all-around champions Nadia Comăneci, Mary Lou Retton, Vitaly Scherbo, Paul Hamm, Carly Patterson, and Nastia Liukin. The American Cup has been controversial, with accusations of biased judging in favor of American gymnasts in the past (as well as the seemingly lopsided presence of top American women gymnasts with the rest of the foreign field not as high caliber). Since becoming part of the FIG World Cup Series in 2011, the field of competitors is determined by FIG rules and is based on gymnast's placement at the previous World Championships or Olympic Games. It also features an international panel of judges. However, it is not uncommon for countries to decline invitation to the event.
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Sponsorships
In recent years the American Cup has been sponsored by various companies, and the event is typically named for the sponsoring company. Below is a list of past and present sponsors of the event, as well as the official name of the event during the period of sponsorship
Nastia Liukin Cup
Since 2010, the American Cup weekend has also seen the inclusion of a new event open exclusively to Level 10 J.O. female athletes, the Nastia Liukin Cup, named after Nastia Liukin.