OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION

To the attention of:

• The FIG Authorities;
• The affiliated Federations;
• The Continental Unions.

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, 14 May 2018 AGU / mbe

FIG Council meeting in Istanbul (TUR)

Dear Members of the Authorities,

Dear Presidents of Federations and Unions,

The following decisions were taken by the Council during its meeting in Istanbul (TUR) 11 - 12 May 2018:

• The Council unanimously allocated the 2022 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships to British Gymnastics. They will be held in Liverpool.
  
• The Council unanimously allocated the 2019 Council meeting to the Russian Gymnastics Federation. It will be held in St Petersburg.

• The Council unanimously approved to entrust the EC to allocate:
  - the 2021 and 2022 Rhythmic Gymnastics and Trampoline World Championships;
  - the 2020 and 2022 Acrobatic, Aerobic and Parkour World Championships;
  - the 2023 World Gymnaestrada.

• The Council unanimously approved the organisation of the Junior Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Györ (HUN) and Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Moscow (RUS). Both events will be considered as a test event. A final decision to introduce Junior World Championships - in which year, how often, competition formats, participation criteria, bidding conditions etc. - will be discussed by the EC and proposed to the Council 2020 after the two test events have been analysed.

• The Council unanimously ratified the decision of the Executive Committee concerning the update of the Technical Regulations for Parkour.

• The Council unanimously ratified the decision of the Executive Committee concerning Appendix A of the Technical Regulations. This concerns the qualification criteria for the 2020 Olympic Games, allowing gymnasts who have qualified through the Individual Apparatus World Cups to compete on all apparatus in the qualification competition at the Olympic Games.

• The Council unanimously approved the changes to the Technical Regulations proposed by the EC. The updated Regulations will be published on the FIG website in due course.

• The Council unanimously approved the update of articles of the Code of Discipline which needed to be amended due to the FIG Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding and protecting participants in Gymnastics.
  
• The Council unanimously approved the update to the World Gym for Life Challenge Regulations.
  
• The Council unanimously approved the Financial Report 2017, including the 2017 Accounts, the 2018 Budget and the Auditors' reports.
  
• The President of the Competition Commission presented the EC's vision for the Olympic Cycle 2021-2024 concerning:
  -the principle of Olympic Qualification;
  - the competition structure including qualifications to World Championships through Continental Championships;
  -separate Individual and Team/All-Around World Championships;
  -the competition calendar including World Cups.
  The Council discussed the above. Further discussion will take place at all World Championships in the course of this year. The final decisions will be taken by the Council in May 2019.
  
• The Chair of the Working Group for the Prevention of Harassment and Abuse presented a report concerning the planned new FIG Structure for Ethics and Safeguarding decided by the EC. The Council discussed and approved the principles of this new structure with the creation of an independent Ethics Foundation which will be discussed and decided by the Congress in December 2018.
  The new Ethics Foundation will include an Independent Safeguarding Section, which will deal with all allegations, suspicions and disclosures of all forms of harassment and abuse reported to the Ethics Foundation through its helpdesk and other channels. The new Ethics Foundation will also include a Compliance Commission and integrate the existing Disciplinary Commission as well as the Appeal Tribunal.

• The President of Gymnastics' Women in Sport Commission presented the results of their survey and their recommendations for gender equality which were approved by the EC. The Council discussed this topic and took an informal vote accepting the principle to propose Statute changes to the Congress in December 2018 for a minimum representation of women of 30% in the various FIG authorities, reaching full gender equality in 2028.

• The Council unanimously approved the provisional affiliation of the Gymnastics Federations of Tonga (TNG) and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The definitive admission will be decided by the Congress in December 2018.
  
• The Council took notice of the suspension of the Gymnastics Federations of Congo (CGO), Macau (MAC), Myanmar (MYA) and Seychelles (SEY) for financial reasons.
  
• The Council unanimously approved the expulsion of the Gymnastics Federations of the Central African Republic (CAF) and Zambia (ZAM) for financial reasons.

Kind regards,

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE

André F. GUEISBUHLER, Secretary General

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