Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

The most important thing at this time of year is to wish you all a very Happy Christmas! And I have to record some more thoughts further to Thursday's post on Clive Palmer's thesis.  My work on this prophetic piece is ongoing, but there is a considerable volume of thought to digest.  To provide the necessary emphasis to each of the author's points, and add currency to his thoughts, will take more than a few days. Palmer's work had me thinking about the degree of authority the FIG wields over the sport, yet seemingly without any consciousness of the gravity of the decisions it takes competition by competition and year by year.  The FIG constantly reminds us of the 'accuracy' of judges' decisions, yet recent events and media coverage only serve to stress how wrong this simple assertion is.  One example is the ease with which the E or execution judges can award inconsistent and unfair marks without risk of reproach. This is in stark contrast to the closel...

Browsing through the British Library databases I came across a 2003 PhD thesis entitled 'A qualitative investigation of aesthetic evaluation in men's artistic gymnastics', written by Dr Clive Palmer.  The thesis is based on documentary analysis, an analysis of interviews and judging observations involving men's coaches (eg Great Britain's Paul Hall), gymnasts (eg British international Kanukai Jackson), international judges and MTC President Hardy Fink, and the author's own observations of gymnastics practice.  The thesis provides insights into the evolving aesthetic denudation of gymnastics, cultural differences in understanding the aesthetic, the work of the judges, and makes proposals for improvements in the system. It seems to me that much of what Dr Palmer has written is even more relevant today and has resonance across both men's and women's gymnastics.  The author has published articles based on the thesis in peer reviewed journals such as the In...