FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE
Letter from the President
Nr 57
By Prof. Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG January 2012
Dear Friends,
A very Happy Olympic Year to everyone; may all your hopes and dreams come true!
2012 is a turning point for the FIG in several ways.
In terms of sports, there are the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London and the dreams held
tightly by our athletes and their entourages. The World Championships in Lake Buena Vista and
Sofia, and possible qualification for the 2013 World Games in Acrobatic and Aerobic are also on
the horizon.
At the statutory level, the 79
th
Congress and General Assembly are scheduled for October in
Cancun, at which time the FIG will renew its authorities. An election is a big step; it is an individual
commitment to the common cause. Once elected, a candidate ceases to represent his or her
federation, becoming rather an ambassador for an entire community. In order to exist and grow, it
is imperative that our Federation rally its expertise and energy under a single banner: Gymnastics.
Our sport must embody a single universal language, understood everywhere by everyone just as it
was at its beginnings. It is my hope that candidates holding a position of responsibility within our
institution would embrace a vision for the universality that underpins the wealth and very capital of
gymnastics. In a world where globalisation and a world without borders are core issues, I would
invite you to move beyond a national, continental or international mind-set and strive toward a
universal sport, as unique in its philosophy as it is diverse in cultural participation. And yet, a self-
serving mission continues to permeate our ranks.
Times change. Gymnastics must change. And when, pray, will we change?
I recently announced my decision to seek a new mandate. Among the elements influencing that
choice is the need for change; change to our structure, our rules, our competitions, and our vision.
My work is far from done. It is a mistake to think we can wait twenty years to modify a format or a
rule, as was the case for compulsory exercises and the age requirement.
Being right no longer cuts it. We need to put our words into action; our adversaries advance as we
speak!
In 2012, gymnastics will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the work of a great universalist, an
exemplary unifier and a loyal friend: Pierre Chabloz. He harboured dreams of a union, a continent
without borders with gymnastics as its capital, and to that end created the European Gymnastics
Union in 1982. I would like to reaffirm my support to his successor, Georges Guelzec, and my
commitment to bringing a vertical sense of solidarity to gymnastics that will permeate every level of
the hierarchy, from the smallest club to the apex of our sport. Our edifice holds steady because of
the fortitude of its foundation.
As this Olympic and electoral year gets underway, keep in mind the principles that are meant to
guide every individual in the gymnastics circle. I hope to labour at your side.
With my compliments.
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FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE