Skip to main content

'We are missing out on the beauty of gymnastics' - the FIG


FIG Secretary General Andrei Gueisbuhler has commented on new revisions to the Code of Points planned by the FIG to restore artistry to both the men's and women's sport, reports Reuters. He implies that the new Code will be revised to increase the importance of execution relative to difficulty :


'Artistic gymnastics should be about art, about beauty, and in the case of the women it also has to do with music, with expression.  But increasingly, we are finding that gymnastics has developed into acrobatics. We have more and more difficult acrobatic movements and we are missing out on the beauty of gymnastics.  There is certainly a correction which has to be made ...

This is not the fault of the gymnasts or the coaches, it is a matter of the code of points (scoring system) and how much value you give to difficulty versus execution.'

The FIG has made verbal commitment to the notion of artistry in the past, but they have not made much happen to back it up.  So hopefully Gueisbuehler's clear admission that the Code is at fault is a good sign that appropriate action will be taken in the coming year.  I hope they take into account at least some of the considerations raised by Dr Clive Palmer in his excellent thesis on the importance of aesthetics to men's gymnastics, and the Code revisions he proposes.

Another hot topic recently, and one that may have had an influence on the FIG's thinking about the Code, is the sport's high casualty rate.  Recently, Chinese Gymnastics Federation President Ye Zhennan had called on the FIG to change the Code following an achilles tendon rupture to one of his leading women gymnasts, Cheng Fei.  It was about time one of the federations made the point publicly: all of the top national teams have suffered an apparent increase in their serious injury rates, to the extent that medal contenders are regularly missing from the roster.  Less of an emphasis on difficulty, and more on execution, might improve matters. 

Politically, it is an interesting time for the FIG as candidates for the main senior roles announce their interest.  For the first time, President Bruno Grandi finds himself challenged for re-election (Romanian Adrian Stoica and Russian Vassily Titov are the two nominees).  Head of Women's Technical Committee, Nellie Kim, stands unopposed, while current Head of the Men's Technical Committee, Adrian Stoica, will fight American Steve Butcher for re-election.  The poll will take place in October.

Related content :

The American School of Gymnastics
Who needs difficulty?
Photo Gallery - Russian Championships 2012
A new framework for marking gymnastics
How the FIG have killed artistic gymnastics
A qualitative investigation into aesthetics in men's gymnastics

Comments

  1. Did you saw the article with comments responds about this?
    "Readers respond: Is elite gymnastics too hard?" from examiner.com
    http://www.examiner.com/article/readers-respond-is-elite-gymnastics-too-hard
    A very entertaining especially the last comment from the coach

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link.
      I actually think it's not too rare for people to think artistry is superfluous to gymnastics - why bother? is their view. Which is a pity, but at least it becomes a point for discussion if they are open about it.
      Otherwise, I think people just make too many assumptions about what artistry is, how it can be evaluated and so on - precisely the things the sport needs to be much clearer and more explicit about.

      Delete
  2. Great they do need to go back to the artistry, tired of seeing people getting high scores because their DV is higher than others even when they do badly at execution.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a joke! André Gueisbühler is not a new FIG member. He has been around for many years, under Titov and under Grandi. So he's also responsible for what's happening with the Code of Points. Who killed the beauty of the sport? All FIG officials want to have their cake and eat it too. He'll be there even if Grandi is not reelected.
    Sylvia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, the joy of journalists with no clue writing about gymnastics and sports politics.
    I think Reuters didn't understand Gueisbühler. There is no new "scoring system". What he means is the usual update/revision of the CoP at the end of an Olympic cycle. But they say every time that it will emphasise artistry more. The new CoP draft has already been distributed and discussed. There won't be any major revisions.
    Gueisbühler isn't even elected. Nor is he involved in the drafting of the CoP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well the FIG have at least publicly admitted that they have got things wrong, and that their Code, rather than coaches and gymnasts, has been responsible for the artistic degradation of the sport.

      To be fair to Reuters, they do discuss 'revisions' (and then add in 'scoring system' as a way of explaining to readers what the 'Code' is).

      I would be very interested to know why the FIG has chosen to release this information and make this admission at this particular time. If there is no intention to make changes further to those released earlier this year, it would indeed appear most disingenuous to have made this announcement at all.

      Delete
    2. The FIG did not "release" any information. The Reuters guy simply interviewed Gueisbühler in the run-up to the Olympics. It's standard procedure for newsagencies to get quotes to use in an Olympic year. That's all.
      I think the gymternet is reading way too much into this, really.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who really won the WAG All Around?

You will find a link to the FIG's newly published book of results at the Olympic Games here .  This year, they have broken down the judge's execution scores so you can see exactly how each judge evaluated the gymnasts' performances.  It makes for interesting reading - if only I had more time to analyse each judge's marking.  A skim reading already highlights multiple inconsistencies in individual judges' marks and makes you wonder why they bother with the jury at all. I have taken the time to look at the reference judges' scores for the top four in the women's all around.  The FIG explains here what their role is, and how they are selected.  I even used my calculator, which is a risky thing in my hands.  My, how I wish we could have seen a similar document for the Tokyo World Championships. I wonder if anyone can explain how, if the FIG's Code of Points is so objective and fair, it is possible to come up with two different results using two differ...

Andreev to replace Rodionenko

Dmitry Andreev has replaced Andrei Rodionenko as head coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. This was announced on his Telegram channel by the Russian Minister of Sports and head of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev. 💬"I signed an order to appoint Honored Coach of Russia Dmitry Andreev as head coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team," Degtyarev said. "He is a highly qualified specialist with modern views, but at the same time he will be able to ensure continuity and support for the rich traditions of the Russian school of artistic gymnastics. Since 2015, Andreev has been working as a senior coach for the preparation of the national team's reserve. As an international judge, Dmitry Valerievich has extensive experience working at major international tournaments and participated in four Olympics (2012-2024). Since 2010, he has headed the All-Russian Collegium of Judges. 👏I would like to thank Andrei Rodionenko for his work...

Aliya Mustafina - 'each medal is very special'

'I'm very happy that everything turned out well today  ... Each medal is very special.  The UK team made mistakes, so there was a wide margin [of victory]... But naturally, [what I did] is not enough for the Olympics.  I prepared well for beam and bars but I am not ready for floor, I stepped up to help the team. ... To be honest, I did not look at the scores [when asked how the team reacted to the 6.5 gap before the final apparatus].  Gelya (Melnikova) is a good girl, she did everything and did not falter ... Seda fell on quite a complex element.  There is more work to do, but everything else went well.' [About a protest taken by the coaches on her beam score]. 'I am used to my protests being rejected, everything is normal!' Via vk.com I n other news , the UEG has confirmed that Spiridonova will replace Melnikova in tomorrow's bars final. No reason is given, but it is generally considered that Dasha has a better chance of gold.  This decision also means tha...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more