THE GOLD ALBUM OF OUR RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS TEAM

GOLD
1975 Madrid – International Olympic games (general contest)
2005 Baku – International Olympic games (3 hoops and 2 Indian clubs)

SILVER
1992 Brussels – International Olympic games (6 ribbons)
2004 Athens  – The Olympic games
2005 Baku – International Olympic games (complete)
2005 Baku – International Olympic games (5 ribbons)
2006 Moscow – European Olympic games (complete)
2006 Moscow – European Olympic games (3 hoops and 2 Indian clubs)
2007 Patrasso – International Olympic games (complete)
2007 Patrasso – International Olympic games (3 hoops and 2 Indian clubs)
2007 Patrasso – International Olympic games (5 skipping ropes)
2007 Pechino – Pre-olympic (complete)

BRONZE
1971 Havana – International Olympic games
1988 Helsinki – European Olympic games (3 hoops and 3 ribbons)
1990 Gothenburg – European Olympic games (12 Indian clubs)
1992 Brussels – International Olympic games (3 skipping ropes and 3 balls)
2003 Riesa – European Olympic games (general contest)
2003 Riesa – European Olympic games (2 balls and 3 hoops)
2006 Moscow – European Olympic games (5 ribbons)
2006 Mie’ – World Cup Finals (5 ribbons)

TURIN IN RHYTHMICS

No other city made so much for the birth and the affirmation of sports in Italy like Turin did. The Savoy city is the cradle of gymnastics the way it is for many other disciplines (winter sports, alpinism, fencing, rowing and partially, soccer).

Turin is the city that boast the first Italian schools for training the teachers of physical education and gymnastics, and above all, in Turin was born, in 1844, the first Italian society for the practice of sporting activities: the Società Ginnastica (Gymnastics Society) of Turin.

At the Mole’s feet, in 1886, was set and composed by Edmondo De Amicis “Love and Gymnastics”, the first novel inspired by sport written in Italy, base of the script for the famous film of the same title from 1973 directed by Luigi Filippo D’Amico with Senta Berger, Adriana Asti and Lino Capolicchio.

In other words the bond between Turin and the Gymnastics has strong and steady roots.

A prominent character for the Rhythmic Gymnastics in Italy was Andreina Sacco Gotta (1904 - 1988) from Turin, who was the first to introduce in Italy the Rhythmic Gymnastics, called at that time “modern gymnastics”. Still in Turin one of her students, Maria Rosa Rosato, supported by Melchiorre Bracco,  gave birth to the first National Team representative, participatingfor the first time at the Copenhagen III International Championship in 1967, where the Italian National Team distinguished immediately from the other countries on the basis of the innovative composition standards and mostly for the collaboration and interaction between the gymnasts.

But it was the time when in Italy the Rhythmic Gymnastics was considered the cause ofthe possible “interferences” damaging the Artistic Gymnastics. All the young athletes in that first World Championship were Rosato’s students, who taught Rhythmic Gymnastics at ISEF (Sports and Physical Education Institute) ofTurin. The accompaniment pianoforte music for the exercise, was composed in order to this exercise, by Gotta herself, on the rhythmical scheme of the movements. Despite the little competitive experience the young gymnasts from Turin who represented Italy, arrived on the sixth final position, surprising everybody by getting the maximum score for composition: ten points from ten.

Subsequently, in 1971, at the Cuba International Championship Italy wins the bronze medal and at the 1975 Madrid International Championship the gold medal, the first from the most important success in the history of the Italian Rhythmic Gymnastics. Meanwhile, in 1973,Turin host the first international event of Rhythmic Gymnastics in Italy.

Anna Miglietta had been trainer of the National Team from 1976 to 1977. Former national gymnast the trainer coming from Biella helped the Italian girls to reach the 6^th position during the World championships of Basilea in 1977.

The Rhythmic Gymnastics passes the baton to an other piedmonts, Amalia Tinto from Turin, who would keep at high levels the Italian National Team during all the ‘80s and the ‘90s, conquering a silver medal and a bronze medal al the Brussels International Championship.

The rest is recent history. From Amalia Tinto, in 1996 the leading position goes to the present responsible of the Rhythmic GymnasticsNational Team, Emanuela Maccarani. And it is a team that getssuccess in a steady rising (Silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic games and Gold medal at the 2005 Baku International Olympic games, in Azerbaijan).

The present Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team of Italy led by Emanuela Maccarani consist of Elisa Blanchi, Fabrizia D’Ottavio, Marinella Falca, Francesca Pasinetti, Elisa Santoni and Matilde Spinelli. At the recent Moscow European Championship, last September, they won the Silver medal in the general contest, the second place in the hoops and Indian clubs contest and the third place in the ribbons contest.

Organizing the XXIV European Rhythmic Gymnastic Championship in 2008 Turin returns on the international stage.