FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE
Letter from the President
Nr 60
By Prof. Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG April 2012
Dear Friends,
This year, more than ever before, the Olympic spirit, fair play and ethics will be in the spotlight.
For the benefit of those who are unaware, it is perhaps worth emphasising that, just like the spices
in a casserole, these are the ingredients that make our sport so appealing.
But just how do ethics evolve, and how are they embodied?
Having come through a long period in which our sport was exploited for political and ideological
purposes, it is difficult to re-establish a culture of ethically acceptable conduct among the sport's
various protagonists, including athletes, judges and administrators, all of whom can influence each
other.
It is clear that money and economic power have now replaced the ideologies of the past, and that
they can lead to the same mistakes and cause the same damage. In a sport that requires men and
women to act as judges, ethics is a key issue for us. When we talk about ethics in gymnastics, we
mean active and passive behaviour at an
individual, environmental and organisational level.
Individuals demonstrate their sense of ethics through their personal conduct, by complying with
rules (even when this impacts on their personal interests), by maintaining a sense of moderation
and restraint, and by attempting to find a balance between different evaluation criteria.
Judges must realise that their actions have an impact on fairness, and that fairness is only possible
if decisions are based on expertise and a sense of responsibility, both of which are essential for
this sensitive role. Those who deliberately make mistakes are doing the athletes the greatest
injustice possible and are damaging the sport by seriously undermining its credibility.
At an environmental level, ethics are central to sports education, whether within the family, at
school or in a sports club. We are responsible for creating the environment in which training takes
place.
Behaving ethically does not mean doing without coaches, who have a unique contribution to make,
nor does it mean that we have to stop devising strategies for winning competitions. Strategy and
tactics are not unethical but cheating, underhanded behaviour and result-rigging are. We must
ensure that all sports clubs share this understanding of what constitutes ethical behaviour.
At an organisational level, sporting institutions need to demonstrate their commitment to ethics by
making the principles of legality, democracy and transparency a fundamental priority. National and
international institutions that claim to follow these principles must be able to provide the tools and
legal framework necessary to achieve this ethical goal.
Increasing awareness of ethics in sport is a continuous process, but the best approach is to lead
by example, to provide role models and to embrace the right attitude. These are more valuable
than any rhetoric, which all too often proves ineffective.
Sport began as a civilising force, and it should remain that way today.
Best wishes,
67
FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE