Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordinated. Rhythmic gymnastics is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which first recognized it as a sport in 1963. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport.
Irina Viktorovna Tchachina is a retired Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in all-around, a two-time World all-around bronze medalist, the 2004 European all-around bronze medalist and 2000 Grand Prix Final all-around silver medalist.
Hanna Volodymyrivna Bezsonova is a Ukrainian former individual rhythmic gymnast. She is one of the most decorated rhythmic gymnast of her generation. She is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist ; a five-time medalist in the all-around competition of the World Championships: gold in 2007, silver in 2003 and 2005, bronze in 2001 and 2009; a four-time medalist in the all-around competition of the European Championships: silver in 2004 and 2008, bronze in 2002 and 2006; and a four-time medalist in the all-around competition of the Grand Prix Final: gold in 2003, silver in 2002 and 2005, bronze in 2004.
Natalia Oleksandrivna Godunko is a Ukrainian former rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2001 team all-around world champion, 2005 European ribbon champion and the 2004 Grand Prix Final all-around champion.
Olena Ihorivna Vitrychenko, also known as Elena Vitrichenko, is an Individual Ukrainian Rhythmic Gymnast. She is the 1996 Olympics bronze medalist, the 1997 World All-around champion and 1997 European All-around champion.
Oksana Valentinovna Skaldina is a retired Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast and current coach. She is the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist and 1991 all-around world champion.
Alexandra Alexandrovna Timoshenko, or Olexandra Olexandrivna Tymoshenko, is a former Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. She is the 1992 Olympics champion, 1988 Olympics bronze medalist, 1989 World all-around champion, 1991 World all-around silver medalist and two time European all-around champion. Along with Tatiana Gutsu, and Oleh Kucherenko, Oleksandra Tymoshenko also was among the first Olympians in honor of which at the 1992 Olympics was raised the Ukrainian flag and played the Ukrainian anthem.
Sports in Ukraine as in any other country throughout the World plays an important role in shaping the popular view of Ukraine and Ukrainian popular culture to its residents and the rest of the World. Sports in Ukraine while it is voluntary and spontaneous, it is regulated and standardized by the government and respected government agency as well as legislation. According to the Law of Ukraine "About physical culture and sports", sports is an activity of subjects of the sphere of physical culture and sport directed to identification and the unified comparison of achievements of people in physical, intellectual, and other preparation by holding sports competitions and preparation for them. The sport has such directions: children's sports, sports for children and young people, reserve sports, elite sports, professional sports, sports of veterans of physical culture and sport, veterans of war, the Olympic sport, not Olympic sport, office and applied and military and applied sport, sports of persons with disability and so forth.
The Deriugina School, also known as the Deriugins' School is a rhythmic gymnastics club in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was run for many years by the mother and daughter team of Albina Deriugina, who was the head coach for many years and died in 2023 at the age of 91, and Irina Deriugina, who acted as the assistant coach and later became the head coach. Irina's daughter, Iryna Blokhina, works in the school as a senior choreographer.
Alina Oleksandrivna Maksymenko is a retired individual rhythmic gymnast.
Irina Alexandrovna Viner, formerly Irina Alexandrovna Viner-Usmanova, is a Russian rhythmic gymnastics coach who is head coach of the Russian national team, former president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, and former vice president of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation.
Ludmila Petrovna Savinkova is a retired Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is the first World Champion in 1963 and one of the group member that won gold in the first ever Group competition held at the 1967 World Championships.
Eleonora Alekseevna Romanova is a Russian and former Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2013 Ukrainian national junior champion.
The Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation is the governing body of rhythmic gymnastics in Russia.
Valeriya Khanina is a Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2014 Junior European ribbon silver medalist. She represented Ukraine at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics and finished sixth in the individual all-around.
Iryna Olehivna Blokhina is a Ukrainian sportsperson, singer, and TV host. Director of the Legendary Deriugina School. Vice-President of Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation. She is rhythmic gymnastics, National Olympic team coach as well as choreographer. For over 20 years her body of work for the Ukrainian National Team has created an immense body of work for the popularization of the sport including introducing Gala into the competition program, introducing championship song and slogan.
Viktoriia Maksimivna Onopriienko is a Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast. She competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing tenth in the all-around final. She is the 2020 Grand Prix Final all-around champion and the 2022 World Games ribbon bronze medalist. At the junior level, she is the 2018 European team silver medalist.
Albina Nikolaevna Deriugina was a Soviet and Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastics coach. She trained her daughter Irina Deriugina to Olympic success and the two then became a very successful coaching team. She was made a Hero of Ukraine in 2002.
Elina Leontiivna Khozlu is a Soviet female rhythmic gymnast.
Zhanna Petrivna Vasiura is a Soviet female rhythmic gymnast.
Soviet Union 
