Organisers of major FIG competitions across the globe have started to support the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) in further raising awareness of its mission and activities among gymnasts and their entourage.
In particular they have committed to distribute an informative flyer to the participants, which has already happened successfully at the following events:
Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Junior and Senior European Championships in Rimini (Italy), end of April and early May;
Men’s and Women’s Trampoline Junior and Senior African Championships in Tunis (Tunisia), mid-May; and
Men’s and Women’s Trampoline Junior and Senior Asian Championships in Hong Kong, mid-May.
Aagje Vanwalleghem, athletes’ representative on the GEF Council explained:
“All gymnasts need to know about the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation’s existence and its independent nature. The Foundation is there to support any member of the gymnastics community who may have faced any form of non-accidental violence, harassment, or abuse – especially if there is no national reporting mechanism, yet, or if the trust in such system has been eroded.”
She added:
“Of course we communicate through different channels, but we must be creative and go where the athletes are, be it in the virtual or in the physical space. We will carefully assess the success of this initiative and adjust our future plans accordingly.”
These efforts are aligned with Gymnasts 2028, the GEF’s strategic framework launched a year ago and aimed at making the sport of gymnastics safe, thriving and impactful for all. They also form part of the Foundation’s plans to set up an Athlete Advisory Panel (AAP) which will ensure that the voices and concerns of athletes are more effectively represented and addressed both within the Foundation’s internal structures as well as within the sport at a broader level.
The flyer is easy to print and can be used by any organisation (from small to big and from local to global) or stakeholder within the gymnastics community to further raise awareness about the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation and its purpose.
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