The International Gymnastics Federation (French: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, FIG) is the body governing all disciplines of competitive gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It was founded on July 23, 1881, in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, Belgium, making it the world's oldest existing international sports organisation. 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. FIG Lausanne

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 (MAG) and women's artistic gymnastics (WAG);

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...

(RG);

aerobic gymnastics Aerobic gymnastics or sport aerobics is a competitive sport originating from traditional aerobics in which complex, high-intensity movement patterns and elements of varying difficulty are performed to music. Nature of the game The performance ...

(AER);

acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive gymnastic discipline where partnerships of gymnasts work together and perform figures consisting of acrobatic moves, dance and tumbling, set to music. There are three types of routines; a 'balance' routine ...

(ACRO); trampolining (TRA);

Double mini trampoline Double mini trampoline, sometimes referred to as double mini or DMT, is a Gymnastics discipline within trampolining. Participants perform acrobatic skills on an apparatus smaller than a regular competition trampoline. The apparatus has both an a ...

(DMT), tumbling (TUM) and

parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...

. Additionally, the federation is responsible for determining gymnasts' age eligibility to participate in the Olympics. After the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, FIG barred Russian athletes and officials, including judges. 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.

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 technical committees for each of the disciplines. , there were 148 national federations affiliated with FIG, one of which have been suspended, as well as one associated federation, one provisional federation and the following five continental unions: * European Union of Gymnastics (UEG) * Pan-American Gymnastic Union (PAGU) * Asian Gymnastic Union (AGU) * African Gymnastics Union (UAG) * Oceania Gymnastics Union (OGU) Across all disciplines, participation in FIG sanctioned events exceeds 30,000 athletes, about 70% of whom are female.

Presidents, and their tenures, of the FIG

Morinari Watanabe was elected president of the organization since 2017.

Competitions

According to the technical regulations of the International Gymnastcs Federation, the competitions officially organized by FIG are: * World Gymnastics Championships ** World Artistic Gymnastics Championships ** World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships ** Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships **

Aerobic Gymnastics World Championships The Aerobic Gymnastics World Championships are the World Championships for aerobic gymnastics Aerobic gymnastics or sport aerobics is a competitive sport originating from traditional aerobics in which complex, high-intensity movement pattern ...

World Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships The Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships are the World Championships for acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive gymnastic discipline where partnerships of gymnasts work together and perform figures consisting of acrobat ...

Parkour World Championships The FIG Parkour World Championships are a parkour competition organized by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Originally scheduled for 2020 and delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the inaugural edition is being held from October 14, 2 ...

* World Cup series ** Artistic Gymnastics World Cup **

Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup is a competition for rhythmic gymnastics sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). It is one of the few tournaments in rhythmic gymnastics officially organized by FIG, as well as the W ...

Trampoline World Cup A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. People bounce o ...

Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in ac ...

Aerobic Gymnastics World Cup Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen. Aerobic may also refer to * Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity * Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise * Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cellu ...

Parkour World Cup Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing ...

* World Challenge Cup series ** Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup ** Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Other official FIG competitions include: * Olympic Games * Youth Olympic Games * World Games *

Junior World Gymnastics Championships Junior World Gymnastics Championships refers to a number of different World Championships in four disciplines recognized by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in competitive gymnastics: acrobatic gymnastics, men's and women's artistic gy ...

Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships, or FIG World Junior Artistic Gymnastics Championships, is an artistic gymnastics competition organized by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The inaugural edition was held in Győr, ...

Junior World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships The FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Junior World Championships, are a rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dan ...

* World Age Group Competitions Defunct events formerly organized of sanctioned by FIG: * Four Continents Gymnastics Championships * Junior World Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships * Olympic Games Test Events

Age eligibility rules

The FIG regulates the age at which gymnasts are allowed to participate in senior-level competitions. The purpose is to protect young gymnasts. This has caused some controversy, and there have been cases of age falsification.

References

External links