A letter from the FIG President
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 79th 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.
FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE
Prof Bruno Grandi, President