The International Gymnastics Federation (French: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, FIG) is the body governing all disciplines of competitive

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

. Its headquarters is in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

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 fro ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, 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 Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

, 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 (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 ...

. 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. A ...

, 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 European Gymnastics is one of five continental unions that represents the interests of Europe in the International Gymnastics Federation (french: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique or ''FIG''). It was formed on 27 March 1982 as the Europ ...

(UEG) * Pan-American Gymnastic Union (PAGU) * Asian Gymnastic Union (AGU) * African Gymnastics Union (UAG) *

Oceania Gymnastics Union Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

(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 Gymnastics World Championships refers to a number of different world championships for each of the disciplines in competitive gymnastics. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) organizes World Championships for six disciplines: acrobatic ...

World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for artistic gymnastics governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). The first edition of the championships was held in 1903, exclusively for male gymna ...

World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for the sport of rhythmic gymnastics. The tournament is promoted and organized by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). It is one of the three tournaments in rh ...

** 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 patter ...

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, ...

* World Cup series **

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

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 Wo ...

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 on ...

** Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup ** Aerobic Gymnastics World Cup ** Parkour World Cup * World Challenge Cup series ** Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup ** Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Other official FIG competitions include: *

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

Youth Olympic Games The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consiste ...

World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...

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 ** Junior World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships * 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