International Gymnastics Federation

International Gymnastics Federation
AbbreviationFIG
Formation23 July 1881; 143 years ago (1881-07-23)
Founded atLiège, Belgium
HeadquartersAvenue de la Gare 12
Location
Region served
Worldwide
President
Morinari Watanabe
AffiliationsLongines, VTB, Cirque du Soleil
Revenue (2019)
US$17.32 million[1]
Expenses (2019)US$16.19 million[1]
WebsiteGymnastics.sport
The FIG headquarters in Lausanne since 2016

The International Gymnastics Federation (French: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, abbr. FIG) is the body governing competition in all disciplines of gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded on 23 July 1881 in Liège, Belgium, making it the world's oldest existing international sports organisation.[2] Originally called the European Federation of Gymnastics, it had three member countries—Belgium, France and the Netherlands—until 1921, when non-European countries were admitted and it received its current name.[3]

The FIG headquarters in Lausanne (2008–2016)

The federation sets the rules, known as the Code of Points, that regulate how gymnasts' performances are evaluated. Seven gymnastics disciplines are governed by the FIG: artistic gymnastics, further classified as men's artistic gymnastics and women's artistic gymnastics; rhythmic gymnastics; aerobic gymnastics; acrobatic gymnastics; trampolining; double mini trampoline, tumbling and parkour. Additionally, the federation is responsible for determining gymnasts' age eligibility to participate in the Olympics.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIG barred Russian athletes and officials, including judges.[4] It also announced that "all FIG World Cup and World Challenge Cup events planned to take place in Russia ... are cancelled, and no other FIG events will be allocated to Russia ... until further notice." FIG also banned the Russian flag at its events.[5] In 19 July 2023, FIG decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes and support personnels to participant events under individual neutral athletes.[6]

  1. ^ a b Perelman, Rich (24 May 2020). "Who's in the money? EXCLUSIVE analysis of our survey of International Federation finances". The Sports Examiner. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Today in Francophone History". About.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  3. ^ "Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique / History / Milestones". FIG. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  4. ^ Bissada, Mason; Dellatto, Marisa (8 March 2022). "International Gymnastics Federation Bars Russia, Belarus As Sports World Reacts To Ukraine Invasion". Forbes.
  5. ^ "FIG decision regarding the conflict in Europe" (Press release). International Gymnastics Federation. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  6. ^ "FIG Executive Committee decision concerning the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality in international competitions". FIG. 19 July 2023.