Aerobic at Round Table Meeting in Sofia

Lausanne, August 21, 2012: It is custom for the Aerobic Technical Committee to invite the directors of participating federations to a Round Table meeting parallel to a world championship event, as was done at the 2012 Aerobic Gymnastics edition in Sofia (BUL) last June.

The meeting is a time to discuss the competition in progress and to address the discipline’s future. In Sofia, a 42 nation majority responded to a summons by President Mireille Ganzin (FRA) and her Committee, a strong show of support in the interest of current sport affairs.

Opening the meeting, FIG President Prof. Bruno Grandi recalled a few basic principles that characterise gymnastics and the responsibilities held by FIG authorities with regard to their athletes. He stressed the importance of quality judging. “A sport, a competition without justice is nothing more than a show! Worse, intentional criminal conduct is harmful to sport and always comes back to the perpetrator. To believe for even a second that a biased mark would give an athlete the advantage is to be terribly misguided. Those who cheat would do well to think it through!”

Professor Bruno Grandi invited Aerobic technicians to simplify the Code of Points in an effort to maintain the discipline’s public and continue to captivate media attention. The President says he remains sympathetic to those who harbour the hope of one day joining the Olympic Family, and concluded his address with an affirmation of commitment to Aerobic development alongside the sport’s Technical Committee.

Mireille Ganzin expressed satisfaction with the election of Aldrin Rodriguez (MEX) as a new AER delegate to the FIG Athletes Commission; Rodriguez was voted in unanimously by 60 participants from 32 countries registered for the World Championships and present for the assembly of gymnasts. Ganzin expressed her gratitude and appreciation to outgoing delegate Ana Macanita (POR), who steps down after two active statutory terms.

FIG Vice-President and Head of Academies Programme Ms Slava Corn (CAN) underlined the need to maintain and develop the calibre of education for new coaches, a major part of Aerobic development at the international level.

The calendar was also discussed, notably a premiere AER participation in the Gymnasiade in Brasilia (BRA), 2013. Aerobic will take part as a demonstration sport, alongside Judo, Taekwondo and Chess.

More than one called for sport justice at this 2012 Round Table meeting, among whom the FIG President in his introduction as well as the man known as Aerobic’s founding father, John Atkinson (GBR), President of the Commission and of the Technical Committee when Aerobic joined the FIG in 1994. —- FIG