Micheline Calmy-Rey, the President of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF), addressed delegates at the 84th Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 11 and 12 November.
During her report on the Foundation’s mission, activities and achievements, the GEF President disclosed that she anticipates over 50 new cases in 2022, 45 of which are currently open. This represents a 25% increase in cases from the previous year, with most of them relating to safeguarding. Casework on compliance matters has augmented as well.
Addressing the leaders of National Federations, Micheline Calmy-Rey said:
“Often, the safeguarding cases reported to us reflect an issue with national safeguarding mechanisms. In these cases, we strive to use the concrete cases before us to find systemic solutions. We expect the case workload to increase and, therefore, the need for greater capacity in the immediate and longer term as greater trust, legitimacy and awareness grows around the Foundation.”
This year marks the Foundation’s first full quadrennium of operation. Since its creation at the FIG Congress in 2018, the GEF has dealt with a total of 132 cases. At the FIG Congress, GEF Director Alex McLin also presented details of the nature and geographical spread of these cases.
Click here to access the full presentation.
During her speech, President Micheline Calmy-Rey highlighted the Foundation’s independence:
“We accept our responsibility to act with absolute professionalism, independence, and impartiality in preventing and remediating harm and addressing unethical behaviours brought to our attention. We will continue to develop the capacities and capabilities to remain fit for purpose in our service and support of all of you.”
Focussing on the voice of affected parties and making sure that these are adequately heard will continue to be key in these efforts.
While referring to the global gymnastics ecosystem, with the athletes at the centre, the GEF President also emphasised the responsibility of each stakeholder to create a safe, thriving and impactful sport of gymnastics. She concluded:
“We are continuing to pay close attention to national and continental efforts to improve harm prevention processes and look forward to working with the FIG and each of your federations on strengthening governance systems, compliance mechanisms and the collective capability to better protect people, enforce rules, regulations and policies, while evolving the capacity to develop and grow a culture of mutual respect through action and impact.”
Click here to read the full speech of GEF President Micheline Calmy-Rey.
