Bruno Grandi facts for kids
Bruno Grandi (born May 9, 1934 – died September 13, 2019) was an important Italian sports leader. He was the president of the FIG (Federation Internationale de Gymnastique) for 20 years, from 1996 to 2016. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee for a few years. Bruno Grandi was a junior gymnast in Italy. However, he found even greater success by leading the sport, eventually becoming the president of the FIG.
Contents
About Bruno Grandi
Bruno Grandi was born in Forlì, a city in Emilia Romagna, Italy. He worked as a Professor of Physical Education in Rome. He was part of the Italian junior artistic gymnastics team. Later, he became the national coach for the Italian men's junior team. He also served as the President of the Italian Gymnastics Federation for a long time, from 1977 to 2000.
Changes in Gymnastics Scoring
Bruno Grandi introduced a new system for team finals called the "6-3-3 system." This system was designed to help more countries win medals. It made it possible for teams to succeed even if they had a smaller group of top gymnasts.
Because of this change, more nations started to win medals in gymnastics during his time. These medals were often won in individual events. For example, since the year 2000, female gymnasts from countries like France, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Great Britain, Australia, North Korea, and the Netherlands have won world and Olympic individual titles. This showed that more countries were becoming strong in the sport.
New Scoring System for Gymnastics
During Bruno Grandi's time, there were some big discussions about how gymnastics was scored. After the 2004 Olympics, the FIG and President Grandi worked on a new scoring system. This new system would use "open-ended scoring." This meant that scores could theoretically go very high, without a limit. It also removed the idea of a Perfect 10, which used to be the highest possible score.
Many people, including fans and athletes, did not like this change at first. They spoke out against it. However, most of the FIG voted to approve the new system. It officially started in 2006.
Achievements and Legacy
In 2001, Bruno Grandi was honored for his contributions to gymnastics. He was added to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. He passed away in Italy in 2019 at the age of 85, after an illness.
