The best news I’ve heard out of FIG in some time.
By Brian Homewood
LAUSANNE, June 19
(Reuters)
Gymnastics is in danger of losing its artistry as competitors are concentrating on pulling off increasingly difficult acrobatic moves, the sport’s governing body said.
The FIG is unhappy with trends in artistic gymnastics, where the accumulative scoring system encourages athletes to cram their routines with risky moves.
“Artistic gymnastics should be about art, about beauty, and in the case of the women it also has to do with music, with expression,” FIG secretary general Andre Gueisbuhler told Reuters in an interview.
He blames the current Codes.
I also like what Andre has to say regarding age cheats. And fair Olympic judging.
That’s a MUST read. It restores my faith in the possible future of our sport.
The sun is shining a little brighter today. 
6 comments ↓
Incredible! Is this really happening?
This is so encouraging! I really hope there is the will to fix the code balance to bring the “artistic” back in Artistic Gymnastics.
Get rid of 3 up, 3 down and restore the team size to 7, not 5. And stop turning a blind eye to obvious age falsification. And get rid of Grandi! And yes, I agree we need to change the Code to allow for more artistry.
“FIG is unhappy with trends in artistic gymnastics”
Well, they are the ones who developed the code, so they only have themselves to blame
At last, Sport should be able to renew itself and evolve with the times. While technique obviously remains the first in evaluation, it is vital to take into account the theatrical aspect. Do you remember that, although Nadia Comaneci won in Montreal due to her technique, her success was also due to her more emotionally appealing performance than those of her rivals. The trend should be towards greater creativity rather than increased difficulty. However the most important factor for a gymnast is not physique but bio-mechanical coordination. The important thing is for the gymnast to “fly” It does matter if the gymnast is tall or small. Morphology varies from one country to another.
Gymnastics should remain a leisure activity for all and evolve to the heights for those who have the greatest natural talents.
A gymnast runs risks, which can be life-threatening, it is therefore important for us to take this aspect into account.
i am sure we can rely on FIG to “fix” the code when in fact they will damage the sport even further
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