The squad numbers about 40 artistic gymnasts from all around the country, and Dunedin gymnasts have made a sizeable contribution.
The gymnasts named in the squad are Amaya Leslie (14), Charlotte Hewson (13), Alyssa Shelton (14), Joseph Nicol (11), Alex Livingstone (13) and Hamish King (15), and all are members of the Dunedin Gymnastic Academy.
The squad is made up of gymnasts who are seen as having a future in the sport to an international level.
Dunedin Gymnastic Academy president Louise Taylor said given the challenges the club faced last year over venues and equipment, it was a great boost for the club.
Two of its gyms had to be shut down after asbestos scares last year but it had moved to new premises in Otaki St and was up and running again.
Academy head coach Carmel Leslie said the girls had to attend a vigorous training camp in Auckland last month where training lasted six to seven hours a day.
''You had to meet a certain criteria and be of a certain age. As a sport, obviously you do have to have the talent, but you also have to stick at it,'' she said. ''A lot of it is about having the drive to want to do it day in, day out.''
The three girls have been accepted into the NZ development and talent ID programme. Nicol has made the national men's artistic gymnastics squad 360, and Livingstone and King have been named in the talent ID pathway for the same squad.
Men's coach Andrew Forrest said the boys had trained hard and been doing the sport for many years.
''They [Gym Sports New Zealand] are trying to tap into talent and get them all working towards the same goal,'' he said.
The gymnasts trained up to 18 hours a day, five days a week, and had to have a real love of the sport, Leslie said.
All the gymnasts would attend national competitions and training camps through the year to keep up to certain standards.
It has been an eventful past 12 months for the club.
Last year, an asbestos scare forced the club out of its gym in Willis St.
Much of its gear had to be thrown out because of the asbestos. Traces of asbestos was also found in the club's gym at Vogel St.
It relocated to a new gym in Otaki St and then had the bonus of managing to source
gear from last year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The gear should arrive in Dunedin in about a month, after it was delayed because Brazilian customs went out on strike following the Olympics.
