History of GRAND PRIX 

A Short History of the Grand Prix Series
          - by Heide BRUNEDER (Vienna/Austria)


Zacharias, Baur (GER)

 The idea for this series of competitions was born in Germany in 1993. The then vice-president of the world gymnastics association FIG, Hans-Jürgen Zacharias, and the manager of the Swabian Gymnastics Association, Robert Baur, made the suggestion to institute this series to the European Gymnastics Union (UEG), so as to present Rhythmic Gymnastics to the public more effectively.

The best gymnasts in the world were to be included in a ranking and prize money was also to be paid – this was a first for Rhythmic Gymnastics. These requirements also guaranteed a certain media interest, which in its turn was intended to motivate countries to organize these high-profile competitions. Germany contacted some countries to gain support for the idea. The first set of rules was drafted in the course of many meetings with the UEG and in 1994 the first Grand Prix Series was organised in the Netherlands, Ukraine, France, Germany and Austria, which hosted the finals

The UEG undertook the patronage for the Grand Prix Series, however, for financial reasons, the competitions were not officially UEG-events. Heide Bruneder, the president of the Technical Committee for Rhythmic Gymnastics, was nominated as person in charge of the Grand Prix tournaments.

An international Grand Prix Committee was founded in 1995 and Heide Bruneder was elected as its president. Germany was appointed as the secretariat.


Heide Bruneder (AUT)

This committee still regularly amends and verifies the rules.
For each competition, a supervisor is appointed whose responsibility it is to safeguard the strict adherence to the rules. The media and the public have showed great interest in these competitions, in particular as the participation of the world's best gymnasts is guaranteed. The Grand Prix Series assumes greater importance each year and is a fixed date in the international gymnastics calendar. Each year more countries volunteer to organise events, so that in 2006 the committee was forced to limit the number of events to a maximum of 12.  Due to the special character of the competitions the organisers are obliged to vouchsafe particular conditions to the participants during their stay.


Ursula Born (GER)
President of Grand Prix Committee

Since 2001, Ursula Born from Germany has been president of the committee – Austria is now in charge of the secretariat.
Since the beginning of the Grand Prix Series, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Ukraine and Austria have been hosts and organisers. Countries such as Russia, Belorussia, Israel and Bulgaria were added later. Up to now, Slovakia, Greece and Slovenia have also each hosted one Grand Prix event.  
Since 2006, the Czech Republic and, for the first time in 2007, Spain (Marbella) have been added to the list of Grand Prix organisers.

It is to be hoped that this interesting series of competitions will continue to develop and will add to the popularity of Rhythmic Gymnastics with a world-wide audience.

Heide Bruneder, Grand Prix Committee, Vienna, Austria

GYMmedia Grand Prix Coverages of the last years:

Grand Prix Circuit 2009:
> (1) Moscow   > (2) Brno      > (3) Thiais   > (4) Kiev
> (5) Holon       > (5) Bourgas   > (7) Marbella     > (8) Berlin

Grand Prix Circuit 2008:
> (1) Moscow   > (2) Thiais  > (3) Brno  > (4) Marbella
> (5) Bourgas  > (6) Holon  > (7) Berlin
>> FINAL 2008:  BRATISLAVA

Grand Prix Circuit 2007:
> (1) Moscow  > (2) Thiais  >  (3) Marbella  > (4) Bourgas
> (5) Minsk      > (6) Brno   > (7) Holon       > (8) Deventer  > (9) Berlin
>> FINAL 2007: Innsbruck

Grand Prix Circuit 2006:
> (1) Moscow  > (2) Kiev (Derjugina) > (3) Thiais  > (4) Bourgas 
> (5) Minsk     > (6) Brno (CiTy Cup)  > (7) Holon  > (8) Deventer
>> FINAL 2006: Berlin Masters

Grand Prix Circuit 2005:
 > (1) Moscow  > (2) Kiev (Derjugina)  > (3) Thiais  > (4) Minsk 
> (5) Holon       > (6) Deventer
>> FINAL 2005: Berlin Masters

Grand Prix Circuit 2004:
 > (1) Moscow   > (2) Kiev (Derjugina)  > (3) Thiais  >> (4) Minsk 
 > (5) Holon       > (6) Sofia                   > (7) Berlin-Masters
>> FINAL 2004: Deventer

Grand Prix Circuit 2003:
 > (1) Moscow  > (2) Kiev (Derjugina) > (3) Holon > (4) Berlin
> (5) Deventer > (6) Sofia              > (7) Minsk  > (8) Holon
 >> FINAL 2003: Innsbruck

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