The Portimão International Tournament celebrates this year its 22nd edition! It’s by far the oldest and most renowned Portuguese Rhythmic Gymnastics International Competition.

In 2006 this Tournament joined the spectacular RG FIG World Cup Series event calendar – being rated as a “Category A” competition opened only to elite senior gymnasts that can compete for a total prize-money of €20.000 and precious points that will take the 8 best ranked gymnasts to the FIG World Cup final held every two years!

Portimão was trailblazer in the FIG circuit delivering to its audience both individual and group competitions and in 2008 we will keep these two events! This is an “RG European Championships” year and the “Portimão RG FIG World Cup” is scheduled close to European Champs offering the perfect scenario to all Federations from the old continent to evaluate their gymnasts’ status. For out of Europe federations it will be one of the best preparatory events on the road to the Beijing OG in August – giving them the chance of watching their gymnasts in high level competition with Elite RG stars in a close to “top-form” moment.

Very few competitions can offer Portimão’s conditions and attract so many quality gymnasts – from beloved stars to passionate young promises on their way to the RG success! Portimão is becoming by its own right one of the main stages of the FIG World Cup Series and even of the RG International Calendar.

Our doors are open to RG gymnasts from all around the globe and all the continents will see their champions performing in the Algarve, this also suggests that current World Champions and Olympic crowned gymnasts will also step foot on the competition hall of the Portimão Arena!

After an “out of this world” 2007 event with a record attendance of 202 gymnasts (FIG World Cup), 2008 will follow the tendency of other Olympic years and will register a smaller presence list…but by no means of lesser quality!

38 FIG affiliated Federations have sent their final registration documents, in total we will host 340 participants, of them, 149 are Senior gymnasts (for elite individual and elite groups competitions) and 56 are young RG promises that will perform in our International Junior Competition.

The Portimão RG competitions are the direct result of the work and commitment of the 50 LOC staff and more than 70 volunteers from the Gymnastics Federation of Portugal, Portimão’s Municipality and ExpoArade all united with the final goal of hosting the best possible way all Delegations from the National Federations that each year honour us with their presence.

Highlights:

- FIG World Cup (Individuals): Vera Sessina (RUS), Anna Bessonova (UKR), Olga Kapranova (RUS), Natalia Godunko (UKR), Evgenia Kanaeva (RUS), Aliya Garayeva (AZE), Inna Zhukava (BLR), Simona Peycheva (BUL), Alexandra Orlando (CAN), Aliya Yussopova (KAZ), Almudena Cid (ESP)

- FIG World Cup (Groups): AUT, AZE, BLR, BRA, BUL, CHN, ESP, FIN, GEO, GRE, ISR, ITA, POL, POR, RUS, SUI, UKR, USA

- International Tournament (Junior): AUS, AUT, AZE, BLR, BRA, BUL, CAN, CHN, CYP, CRO, EGY, ESP, FIN, FRA, GBR, GEO, GER, GRE, HUN, ISR, ITA, JPN, KAZ, MAS, NAM, POL, POR, RSA, RUS, SRB, SLO, UKR, USA, VEN