Dornbirn (AUT) FIG Office, July 18, 2009: The GC Piruett Elite Group of Tallin, Estonia has been crowned the first World Club Champion ever to go down in the annals of the International Gymnastics Federation. This group now holds the official Grandi Trophy, awarded personally by the President of the Federation. Created by the FIG Gymnastics for All Committee, the cup is a first of its kind for interclub events and as such goes down in FIG history today.
80 clubs from 27 countries and representing 3 continents underwent a selective process; a total of 2,000 gymnasts. After two days of elimination, 14 clubs were selected for the final. As expected, nations with a strong, ancestral tradition in gymnastics (Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Italy) qualified several clubs each. Observers were excited to note the emergence of newer groups from countries such as Estonia and Turkey.
The quality of performance was astoundingly high for strictly amateur participation. Diversity was abundant. The groups made use of extensive forms of body expression, either with or without apparatus, to work their magic on evaluators and fans alike.
A sure-fire future
A number of the 32 foreign observers present in Dornbirn and acting as a sounding board for this event are looking to organise a new edition of the Gym for Life World Challenge. The contest meets the demands of millions of gymnasts worldwide, and is sure to draw future commercial partners and the media with its extraordinary potential. The product is high-calibre, as are the gymnasts who make it happens and the public we look forward to seeing at future editions.
The FIG has been successful in its attempt to offer the millions of gymnasts that make up its foundational discipline a brand-new event that will alternate with the traditional World Gymnaestrada. The concept was devised in the spirit of furthering the Federation's reach and its efforts to reinforce Gymnastics for All activity, the cornerstone of the entire gymnastics edifice and on which repose the sport's competitive elite.
