Skip to main content

Bruno Grandi : The Code should encourage aesthetics

Image
By
Nora Schuler has kindly translated part of Bruno Grandi's interview in the most recent issue of Gymnastika.  She reports as follows :

'The most interesting bit is the answer to the last question:

"Q: You thanked our coaches for the return of Soviet gymnastics to the top after the European championships. Why is this so important to you?
A:For a very simple reason: Russia is the founder of today's technical progress [of the sport]. And the FIG cannot afford to lose these traditions – the technical, didactic and pedagogical principles, which are characteristic of your gymnastics.
The Russian gymnastics that we saw at World and European championships in 2010, in particular, from the women, is very beautiful. This is indeed a renaissance. A search for harmony in the unity of the composition (content) of the routine and music. In this sense, Aliya Mustafina (and not only she) showed a return to the values that always belonged to your school. It is mandatory that gymnastics remain artistic and not become similar to sports acrobatics. The rules should encourage the aesthetic part, if we do not want depersonalize our sport."'


Nora adds that the reference to 'depersonalisation' may have lost some of its nuance in translation from Italian to Russian, then Russian to English - the meaning may have more to do with encouraging individuality.

I'm really amazed that he can be so clear in supporting Russia's contribution to the sport, but I wonder what plans he has to change the Code and its implementation to ensure a more holistic approach to marking.  Nora also mentions that

'Regarding the reference judges, he says that they brought them in to control the execution scores on a "mathematical basis". (the Fairbrother system). They need to continue working on minimising subjectivity in judging.'


Subjectivity important to assessing artistry and aesthetics?  I think he must be rather confused ...


BIG THANKS to Nora for taking the time and trouble to do this translation and commentary!

Edited 10.41 am : the Russian Gymnastics Federation has now added an English language translation of parts of the interview at their Website, emphasising Grandi's acknowledgement of Russia as founders of the modern sport.  He also addresses some interesting issues to do with marking and the Code, so it's more than worth a read.  In light of Ludmilla Korolenko's comments about judging, it is clear that the Code is a point of discussion for the Russians at present.

Russian Gymnastics Federation (2010) 'Bruno Grandi: Russian Gymnastics is very beautiful' (Russian language) Gymnastika 2010 issue 4, pp 10-11
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tatyana Nabiyeva on work and love in China

By
Some highlights from a long interview with 2010 World champion Tatyana Nabiyeva.  Source: Russian team page on VK.com.  Translation - Google translate A big interview with Tatyana Nabieva about the peculiarities of work and life in China, the bright years of her sports career, a little about modern gymnastics and about love. On the Nabiyeva flight — At the same championship, you presented a new element on the bars, which was later added to the rules with your last name (flying over the top bar with a straight body, difficulty group F. — Sport24). How did you come up with the idea to try something new? — Actually, it happened spontaneously, I think. We worked with Vera Iosifovna [Kiryashova] on the purity of the elements on the bars, sometimes I didn’t fly all the way to the Shaposhnikova element. Once I didn’t fly all the way to the bars either and stood on my feet between the bars, bending my legs in flight for safety. Then Vera Iosifovna said that this was a different eleme...
Post a Comment
Read more

Men's team results : Russian national championships

By
Full results are available here . In summary, 1    Moscow    (Olennikov, Garibov, Gogotov, Bondar, Stolyarov, Ablyazin)    261.55 2    Siberia       (Devyatovski, Pakhomenko, Ignatiev, Cherkasov, Golutsotskov  259.85 3   Central       (Barkalov, Nyudakin, Markelov, Perevoznikov, Bondar, Ignatenkov   255.00 Interesting - Mikhail Bondar appears to have competed for two teams simultaneously here - Moscow and Central - not sure how this works but quite pleased with myself for noticing it ;-)  Only his high bar score counted for the Central team.  One of the wonderful mysteries of Russian gymnastics.  Hopefully we'll have the women's team results later.  And perhaps I'll discover something even more wondrously mysterious there.  Who knows. 
Post a Comment
Read more

The State of Gymnastics - 'Soviet' or 'American' style?

By
Lioudmilla Tourischeva, 1972 Olympic All Around champion in artistic gymnastics, was held up as an example of the ideal Soviet citizen.  Here she coaches one of the Soviet Union's leading gymnasts from the 1980 Olympics, Natalia Shaposhnikova The Soviet Union had a genius for lifting sport beyond the textbook, injecting the aesthetic where previously only goals had been in plain view.   This was not only manifest in gymnastics.  Do you remember the ‘Russian Five’, the players who elevated ice hockey to a creative sporting display, mesmerising their opponents and spectators with intricate patterns of play, so rhythmic and entertaining that they could have been set to music?   In gymnastics, a sport where the aesthetic counted as much as the outcome, it was this ability to create spectacle out of competition that resulted in the most extraordinary athletic performances.  The ‘Golden Era’, most commonly understood to cover the years from 1952-1...
15 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more