INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF GYMNASTICS
The President felt that one of the most significant international events in recent time was the
Olympic Congress in Copenhagen (DEN), where it was made clear that the athlete must be
respected as an individual. Also highlighted was the importance of the rules of good governance
of our Federations. The FIG has always sided with the IOC regulations. The FIG has high regards
for the Federations; they in turn abide by our Statutes. We must not accept that some pursue their
own self-interests. With the help and support of his Executive Committee, the President has always
strived to adhere to these principles.
Bruno Grandi remarked that Technical Committees, judges, and athletes were under tremendous
pressure to achieve perfection with every competition of our disciplines. He urged abidance by the
standard of fair play. Beyond IRCOS, the system of reference judges will make judging more
reliable; judging will be rendered within a reasonable amount of time, which is important since
losing time is no longer acceptable, especially when it comes to television networks. Nonetheless
quality of judging is essential. Our responsibility is at stake
.
He specified that the use of reference
judges will make the implementation of the "Fairbrother" system possible; these judges will only
intervene when necessary.
The objective of the Youth Olympic Games is to instill the sense of fair play and the Olympic spirit
in the young. Competition spirit is therefore perceived in a different way than at the traditional
Olympic Games. The first edition for the YOG was a tremendous success. The President will
attend a debriefing the following week in Lausanne and take the opportunity to submit a few
proposals to the IOC. He congratulated SIN on the outstanding organization of the Games.
The President pointed out that GfA was at the root of everything; unfortunately we had only
focused on the show, making it easy for other sports to take advantage of our lack of interest. We
must reclaim what belongs to us. "Gym for Life Challenge" was created in order to feature major
GfA events more often on a regular basis.
Introducing the Academies was not easy, but today their success is unquestionable. The President
and Slava are delighted with this achievement. Knowledge is essential to the development of
gymnastics.
The Continental Unions, whose development projects are funded by the FIG, must comply with the
FIG Statutes. Bruno Grandi pointed out that the Presidents of Continental Unions participate in the
meetings of the Executive Committee, yet this privilege is not reciprocal.
The FIG financial situation is stable, but we must pay attention to our spending. Our revenues
mainly come from the Olympic Games; enough reserve funds have been created to support our
operation through an entire cycle, in the event the Olympic Games had to be cancelled. This year
as well as the previous year, the FIG was able to provide financial support to Federations
participating in the ART, RG, and TRA World Championships. In the future we might consider
helping Federations that attend Congress by covering the travel and lodging expenses of one
delegate per Federation.
In conclusion, we are in the middle of the Olympic cycle and we will still face many challenges. We
must look after the interests of the entire gymnastic community. The President hoped that he had
kept his promises so far. He thanked the attendees for their attention.
6.2 Reports from the Technical Presidents and the President of the GfA Committee
6.2.1 from the President of the GfA Committee Margaret Sikkens Ahlquist
Margaret Sikkens Ahlquist commented on her report. She expressed her appreciation to the
affiliate Federations for their excellent cooperation, which is very important to her committee. A
colloquium is organized every year. In December 2010, it will take place in POR, with "Contests
87
FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE