This month, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) launched the "10 Golden Rules of Gymnastics". This important development is an awareness campaign reflecting the strong desire within the Gymnastics community to ensure a safe and respectful environment in the sport.
The campaign is running both on the FIG’s social media accounts and at the World Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.
A press release from the FIG says: “Building a positive culture in sport is everyone’s business. In 2020, with sports competitions on hold, several athletes took to social media to reveal abuse and mistreatment they had suffered. Their testimonies and calls to put an end to these practices were heard.
In late October 2020, the FIG invited national Gymnastics federations and other stakeholders to an online conference with the aim of finding solutions together and sharing positive experiences that can be easily replicated around the world.
At this conference, the FIG committed to developing a new Code of Conduct to draw a clear line between what is acceptable and what is intolerable in Gymnastics halls, and to launch an awareness campaign illustrating the key principles in drawings. This resulted in the 10 Golden Rules of Gymnastics.”
The 10 Golden Rules come from the Gymnastics community itself. They are basic principles that have been raised repeatedly and at different levels. These ideas have been expressed by several athletes in their testimonies on social networks. They were also put forward during the e-conference. In countries where numerous allegations of abuse have led to independent inquiries, these same principles have been outlined among the recommendations.
From the bottom to the top of the Gymnastics pyramid, the FIG encourages everyone to join this awareness campaign.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and over 100 countries will take part in The World Games.