2014 FIG Congress
FIG President announces impending retirement
Lausanne (SUI) / Tashkent (UZB) FIG Head Office, October 29, 2014: In his welcome speech to some 260 delegates participating in the 80th Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in Tashkent (UZB), outgoing President, Prof. Bruno Grandi (ITA), announced that he will not undertake a new mandate when the current one draws to a close, end 2016.
"Before officially opening this Congress, I would like to clarify something about my current position in order to avoid any misunderstandings. My friends, in October 2016 I will not be in the running for the FIG presidency," he declared before a speechless assembly. "For this reason I would like to offer encouragement to those who will be taking up the gauntlet in the future."
After an unsuccessful attempt in 1992, Mr Grandi was elected for the first time at the 1996 Atlanta Congress, followed by four re-elections: Marrakech (MAR-2000), Antalya (TUR-2004), Helsinki (FIN-2008), and Cancun (MEX-2012).
Over the course of his 20 years in office, Mr Grandi profoundly modified the face of the FIG and its gymnasts, spearheading an enterprising and innovative policy despite an environment that was often resistant to change.
The new FIG President will be announced at the close of the 81st Congress in October 2016, in one of the two candidate cities: Tokyo (JPN) or Orlando (USA).