FIG Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee Meeting
Lausanne (SUI), May 7 – 9, 2009

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, May 12, 2009: The FIG Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee held its first meeting of the new Olympic Cycle at the FIG Head Office in Lausanne (SUI), May 7 – 9, 2009. An extensive agenda was covered over three days of concentrated discussions.

New TC members

The committee welcomed its two new members, US American Steve Butcher and Canadian Edouard Iarov, who assumed their positions as FIG officials this year. Iarov, who has been involved in gymnastics since he was 10 years old, is currently working as a National Coach and High Performance Director at the Canadian Gymnastics Federation. As the coach of Valeri Liukin, Iarov’s best achievement is the Olympic Gold medal Liukin won on Horizontal Bar in Seoul in 1988. Iarov is pleased to have been elected to the committee and anticipates the opportunity to share his experience for the development of Men’s Artistic Gymnastics.

IAROV Edouard (CAN)                                                  BUTCHER Steve (USA)

Butcher is the Apparatus Supervisor this cycle for the Pommel Horse and serves as MTC Secretary. Like all committee members he also spends time lecturing at judges’ courses and serving as a FIG Technical Delegate at World Cup events. Apart from his functions at the FIG, Butcher sits at the head of the Pan American Union Men’s Technical Committee and oversees all major competitions between countries of the American continent, including the Pan American Games. With an impressive career as a coach, international judge and official at USA Gymnastics, Butcher is currently heading Gymnastics Operations at Premier Athletics, a Knoxville-based recreation and fitness company that operates approximately 20 gyms throughout the US South & Midwest.

TC President Adrian Stoica (ROU) praised the quick integration of the new TC members and looks forward to fruitful cooperation.

International Judges’ Courses – New Code

The schedule has been busy for TC members having acted as FIG experts at International Judges’ Courses worldwide this year. A total of 36 courses have been held since early January in as many countries, with curriculum tailored to instruct judges on recent changes to the Code of Points. Course results were validated during the meeting. At least 8 courses will follow over the coming months.

According to TC President Stoica small changes have been made to the Code, which he expects will have a profound impact on Men’s Artistic Gymnastics. First and foremost, more room has been given over to creativity and the introduction of new elements. A whole slew of new elements were seen at the European Championships in Milan and others were sent in; both were discussed at the meeting.

Secondly, by increasing the value of execution the Federation has put an even greater emphasis on the artistic side of the sport. Judges were quick to give positive feed-back on the changes, which have been in force since January.

Competitions

Committee members who attended FIG World Cup competitions as technical delegates reported that organisers consistently did their best to carry out the competitions in an optimal fashion. The Federation aims to continue promoting international gymnastic activity worldwide.

In preparation for the 41st Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in London (GBR), October 7-12, 2009, a draw will be conducted after the definitive registration deadline on July 17. Depending on the number of entries, a 4th subdivision may have to be considered. During preparation for the World Championships, special seminars will be provided for both difficulty and execution judges.

Furthermore, the TC discussed selection criteria for judges of the 1st Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore in 2010. The maximum age is set at 35 years. A sufficient number of qualified international judges fall into that category, but a lack of actual experience in judging high-level events may be a concern.

The qualification system for the Olympic Games was another hot topic on TC President Adrian Stoica’s agenda. The committee discussed criteria, standards and technical requirements.

The next meeting of the FIG Men’s Artistic Committee will be held from July 15 – 19, 2009 at the FIG Head Office in Lausanne (SUI).