Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
Encyclopedia
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. Its headquarters is in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It was founded on July 23, 1881 in Liège, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, making it the oldest international sport organisation. Originally called the European Federation of Gymnastics, it had three member countries — Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
— until 1921, when non-European countries were admitted, and it was renamed to its current name.
The federation draws up the rules, known as the Code of Points, which regulate how gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
's performance is evaluated. Six gymnastics disciplines are governed by the FIG: Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
(further classified as Men's Artistic Gymnastics — MAG and Women's Artistic Gymnastics — WAG), Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
(RG), Aerobic gymnastics (AER), Acrobatic gymnastics
Acrobatic gymnastics
Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive partner sport combining the strength, flexibility and technical precision of gymnastics with the grace and musicality of dance as well as the trust and camaraderie of a dedicated partnership...
(ACRO) and Trampolining
Trampolining
Trampolining is a competitive Olympic sport in which gymnasts perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. These can include simple jumps in the pike, tuck or straddle position to more complex combinations of forward or backward somersaults and twists....
(TRA).
Additionally, the federation has been considered the authority responsible for determining whether gymnasts are old enough to participate in the Olympics.
Organization
The main governing bodies of the federation are the President and Vice-Presidents, the Congress, held every two years, the Executive Committee, the Council and seven Technical Committees — for each of the disciplines (WAG and MAG have distinct ones; for GG it's called General Gymnastics Committee).there are 128 federations affiliated to the FIG and 2 associated federations, as well as four Continental Unions:
- European Union of GymnasticsEuropean Union of GymnasticsThe European Union of Gymnastics is one of four continental unions that represents the interests of Europe in the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. It was formed in 1982, the union consists of 47 member federations...
(UEG) - Pan-American Gymnastic Union (PAGU)
- Asian Gymnastic Union (AGU)
- African Gymnastics Union (UAG)
An Italian, Bruno Grandi
Bruno Grandi
Bruno Grandi is an Italian sportsman, currently president of the FIG since 1996 and a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2000...
, has been the elected president since 1996.
Major competitions
- OlympicGymnastics at the Summer OlympicsGymnastics events have been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. For 32 years, only men were allowed to compete. Beginning at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, women were allowed to compete in artistic...
competition - World Gymnastics ChampionshipsWorld Gymnastics ChampionshipsThe Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...