The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) will soon change its leadership. Its president for almost twenty years, the Italian Bruno Grandi, will not stand for re-election in October 2016. The race for his succession is not yet officially open, but Frenchman Georges Guelzec, president of the European Gymnastics Union (UEG), has applied. For FrancsJeux, he explains his approach and details his project.
FrancsJeux : Why are you running for president of the International Gymnastics Federation?
Georges Guelzec : Originally, I didn't intend to. On the day of my re-election as president of the UEG, in December 2013, several European leaders came to see me suggesting that I enter the race. I refused. The following spring, Bruno Grandi took advantage of a meeting of the UEG Council to explain to us that it would be important for me to run for president of the FIG on behalf of Europe. The idea started to take hold, but I wanted to give myself time to think about it. Then, last November, I was asked to prepare a speech for a seminar in London on the future of gymnastics. I worked on the gym of tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I realized that the gymnastics of tomorrow, due in 2020, depended on the continental associations, but for the longer term future, it was up to the FIG to tackle the task. I then made the decision to take the plunge.
How is the race to succeed Bruno Grandi?
To date, no one has officially declared their candidacy. The American Peter Vidmar could run, but it seems he doesn't really want to. The only one campaigning is the Japanese Morinari Watanabe. He informed me that he would declare himself during the month of May. We have known each other well for a long time.
In your eyes, what state is world gymnastics in today?
We always hear the same criticisms: the competitions are too long, there are too many downtimes. Gym must evolve to better adapt to the times. In times of crisis, it is not possible to last a championship for ten days. For several years, we have installed patches on the inner tube. It is time, I believe, to review everything, sports and marketing. We are lucky to be among the first group of sports at the Games, with athletics and swimming, but no one talks about gym between two Olympic Games.
Does your campaign program embody this desire for change?
Yes. I built my program around four pillars: a modification of the statutes of the FIG for a change in governance, with the creation of a board of directors which would include professionals; better communication; an improvement in our finances; and finally a sports reform. I deliberately placed the athlete in fourth position, because it would be illusory to want to reform him without having first worked on our statutes, our communication and our finances.
The IOC Agenda 2020 wants to introduce more flexibility into the Olympic program. Can gymnastics suffer from it, or on the contrary benefit from it?
One of our disciplines is in danger, the IOC has told us: rhythmic gymnastics. It is not universal enough, too massively dominated by Europe, and its results depend too much on human judgment. We are therefore going to carry out a vast development plan in other continents. Beyond that, I would like to change the terminology of gymnastics, taking inspiration from athletics and swimming, to replace the term discipline with that of event. We could then carry out our own arbitrations within the FIG, between the different events, to offer the IOC a richer and more diversified offer, but without increasing the number of competitors.
Bruno Grandi has been a member of the IOC since 2000. If you were elected president of the FIG, would this position guarantee you a seat within the Olympic institution?
We can think so. I will be 68 years old at the time of the election, so I could serve a term at the IOC. But that's not my goal. Above all, I want to help the 140 federations present at the FIG.
Your campaign for the presidency of the FIG will take place in the particular context of a race for the 2024 Games, with a probable candidacy from Paris. Will the two elections be linked?
Today, they are strangers to each other. But they will be linked, that’s obvious. I am very concerned by Paris' candidacy for the 2024 Games. I support it without reservation. If I am elected in the fall of 2016 at the head of the FIG, I would have a role to play in the French Olympic project.
