On 5 November 2016 the city of Barcelona and the Catalan Gymnastics Federation held the 38th edition of their traditional tournament in memory of Joaquín Blume. The then president of the European Union of Gymnastics, Georges Guelzec, attended; he had taken part in the tournament in the past as a gymnast, coach and judge.
Who was Joaquín Blume
Joaquín Blume Carreras was born in 1933 and trained by his father in the German gymnastics tradition. He won the Spanish all-around title in 1949 and held it for ten consecutive years. He competed at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and the 1954 World Championships in Rome, but missed the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne because Spain joined the boycott that followed the Soviet invasion of Hungary. He died in a plane crash between Madrid and Valencia in 1959.
A lasting memory
Blume remains a reference point for Spanish gymnastics. The tournament in his name has brought international gymnasts to Barcelona for decades, and his name is also attached to sports facilities in Spain.
Related: our Men’s Artistic Gymnastics page.
