Micheline Calmy-Rey, the President of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF), addressed delegates of over 150 member federations of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), who are currently attending the 85th FIG Congress. The event takes place from 24 to 26 October in Doha, Qatar.
Increase in cases
During yesterday’s report on the Foundation’s mission, activities and achievements, the GEF President disclosed that the GEF, operational since 2019, has handled 261 cases to date. Highlighting the continuous increase in cases, Micheline Calmy-Rey said:
“This year has seen an increase in case reports, reflecting greater trust in our processes rather than an escalation of ethical breaches. We are proud to be seen as a reliable institution for addressing and preventing unethical behavior.”
Currently, 97 cases are open, i.e. under initial assessment, investigation, or subject of a disciplinary proceeding that has not yet been decided.
Most of these cases are safeguarding cases and within this category, psychological abuse is among the most reported. This is not surprising as typically cases of sexual or physical abuse also include a psychological component.
Gymnasts 2028
The GEF President also explained how the introduction of the strategic framework Gymnasts 2028 has been instrumental in shaping the Foundation’s approach to harm prevention. This human-centered initiative is designed to protect all individuals in gymnastics and provide a safer environment through proactive measures. For example, last year the GEF launched new internal guidelines to protect vulnerable witnesses, ensuring that those who report abuse or unethical behavior feel secure and supported throughout the process.
Involving all stakeholders
Gymnasts 2028 has been also designed to engage all key stakeholders inside and outside the institutional gymnastics system. Explaining the shared responsibility to create a safe, thriving and impactful sport of gymnastics, Micheline Calmy-Rey called on the delegates to support this important cause:
“This work cannot be done by the GEF alone. We share the learnings from our cases with the FIG Safeguarding Commission and strongly believe that our work should inform national initiatives, and vice-versa. Today, I extend a formal invitation to all FIG member federations to actively collaborate with us in the area of safeguarding. Your experiences and innovations in promoting safe sporting environments are invaluable to the global gymnastics community.”
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