It’s conveniently located close to the train station.
This past summer, on recommendation from Keith Russell, I visited the new digs. And was very impressed with the operation.
Meike Behrensen, F.I.G. Media Operations Coordinator, gave me a tour.
(You’ve probably noticed how well and widely Meike has been getting information out to the world in recent months. I’m getting updates every couple of days from multiple sources. Thanks.)
I felt a bit sheepish entering the lovely historic building after all the less than positive things I’ve had to say about F.I.G. over the years. But you won’t find Bruno Grandi at the FIG offices. Nor
Nellie Kim.
Here the FIG employees work frantically trying to keep all the events and programs worldwide on track.
It’s not easy.
I was impressed with everyone I met: young, enthusiastic, energetic, multi-lingual. To survive working for FIG you must have a lot of good qualities.
On this blog we mostly cover Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. But in Lausanne they administer Trampoline Sports, Rhythmic, Aerobic, Acrobatic, Gymnastics for All, … and much, much more.
Consider this a shout out for the F.I.G. Staff. We really appreciate what you are doing for coaches and athletes.
We’re seeing by far the best online coverage ever of a Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships.
From FIG …
… It will be exciting to watch Japan’s world class Trampoline gymnasts. At the last two world championships, Tetsuya Sotomura and Yasuhiro Ueyama medalled in Individual as well as Synchronised Trampoline, topping by their joint Gold in 2007.
More recently, their team-mates Shusuke Nagasaki and Masaki Ito won this year’s World Games and the 2009 World Cup season in Synchro. And no matter who wins the race in St Petersburg, these four gymnasts make a hell of a team! …
The young trampolinist from the U.K. some were calling the next Jason Burnette had to withdraw from World Championships.
What a shame.
His training was going superbly … then 5-days before departure to St. Petersburg he reportedly dislocated his knee cap and broke bones in his lower leg.
He’s in hospital for some time having a series of operations. As an elite athlete the doctors will be very cautious in trying to bring him back to 100%.
Let me add my best wishes to everyone participating.
World Championships in Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline will get underway in St Petersburg (RUS) at the Sports and Concert Complex.
A total of 274 gymnasts (162 men and 112 women) from 32 different federations and every continent will participate in these championships, which feature Individual and Team competitions in Individual Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline as well as Synchronised Trampoline events. Great Britain and Russia will be sending the largest delegations (23 gymnasts per country), followed by Canada (22 entries) and the USA (19 participants). Kylie Walker (NZL), and Claudia Prat (ESP), both Women’s Individual Trampoline, will be the only representatives from their countries.
Let’s have a closer look at what and whom to expect:
… A local trampolinist over the weekend has set a new U.S. record for “degree of difficulty” in an official competition and will be one of the U.S. representatives in the Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships in Russia this November.
Over the weekend Logan Dooley, 22, completed a routine that included 10 skills that totaled a degree of difficulty of 17.1 in the Final Selection competition held at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas.
The competition determined which U.S. athletes would go on to the World Championships. …
I checked in at Gymblog Brazil to see what’s the buzz in the 2016 Olympic nation.
In recent years the Brazilian gymnastics got firsts. Diego e Daniele Hypólito, Daiane dos Santos, Jade Barbosa, … Medals staged the World Cup, which before were only a distant dream, have become routine for athletes like Diego and Daniele Hypolito, Daiane dos Santos, Jade Barbosa, among other champions. With the confirmation that the 2016 Olympics will be in Brazil, the euphoria swept the gymnastics and professionals involved with the sport. …
Rio Gym Brazilian celebrates 2016 and expects even more support – translated to English
I’m very happy for everyone there. Having enjoyed the 1988 Winter Olympics in my home city, I know all the positives that will result from being the host.
Congratulations.
We can expect a new generation of gymnastics stars to train hard for the Games in their home country.
The National Gymnastics Foundation, in partnership with USA Gymnastics, is creating a Collegiate Gymnastics Developmental Fund. The fund’s goal is to provide solutions to support collegiate programs in peril and offer educational and business training for coaches and program administrators to assist them in building financially secure programs. The Collegiate Gymnastics Developmental Fund complements the initiatives USA Gymnastics already has in place to support collegiate gymnastics.
“Collegiate gymnastics is a vital part of the gymnastics fabric in the United States,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. …
In addition to the Collegiate Developmental Fund, the National Gymnastics Foundation already has scholarship programs in place for men’s collegiate gymnastics and trampoline athletes that are endowed through donations and fees. USA Gymnastics organizes national championships for both men’s and women’s gymnastics to supplement the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships. USA Gymnastics has taken an increasingly proactive role in supporting the collegiate arm of gymnastics; earlier this year it hosted a summit to discuss the issues facing collegiate gymnastics and assisted in a fundraising effort for Cal State Fullerton women’s gymnastics team.
The Collegiate Developmental Fund (CDF) will be supported through public and private donations, as well as through some existing funds in the National Gymnastics Foundation. The NGF has dedicated funds valued at $100,000 to seed the CDF.
“The Foundation is still working out the details for the fund,” said Bob Wood, chair of the National Gymnastics Foundation. “No grants will be issued until the guidelines and parameters for funding and distribution are solidified. We are excited about the opportunities the Fund will present, and we hope the gymnastics community will band together to build a solid endowment for this effort.”
“This is a huge step forward,” commented Mike Lorenzen, president of NACGC/W. “We are very excited about the opportunity to work with USA Gymnastics and the National Gymnastics Foundation to identify solutions to maintain and develop new college programs.”
“It is important for us to work together to sustain NCAA gymnastics as an important goal for all of our athletes,” said Mike Burns, president of the College Gymnastics Association for men’s gymnastics. …
The National Gymnastics Foundation was created from the energy and excitement generated by the gold-medal Olympic effort of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Proceeds totaling $1.4 million from the 1984 Olympics were used to establish the Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Today, the Foundation’s assets total approximately $4.3 million.
The excellent annual coach education weekend in Canada has been announced. Vancouver September 25-27, 2009.
Keynote Speakers:
Jamie Atkin (Trampoline Gymnastics Head Coach at Airdrie Edge Gymnastics Club in Alberta) and Lisa Cowan (2006 Artistic Women’s National Level Coach of the Year by Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique).
Other presenters include Andrée Montreuil, Jeff Pauliuk, Nancy Beyer, and many more.
Coast Tsawwassen Inn, 1665 – 56th Street, Tsawwassen, BC
Delta Gymnastics, 1720 – 56th Street, Tsawwassen, BC
Meike Behrensen, F.I.G. Media Operations Coordinator, gave me a tour. 
