Doha: The 85th Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation kicked off in Doha on Thursday, set to run for three days, with the participation of more than 500 officials from national gymnastics federations representing 157 countries, in the presence of HE Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain and President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Morinari Watanabe. In special remarks to Qatar News Agency, President of Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi expressed his happiness with this large and unprecedented participation in the 85th FIG Congress, stressing Qatar's role in spreading gymnastics and caring for it. He thanked the QOC for its great support in hosting these meetings. In a related context, Al Hitmi said that holding the meetings in Doha reflects the peace-loving Qatari role and its interest in international sports, as the State of Qatar spares no effort in harnessing all capabilities to ensure the success of all inter national events it hosts. Al Hitmi pointed out that the Doha Congress is the largest in terms of the number of participating countries, which exceeded 550 participants representing 157 countries. He pointed out that this number has never been recorded before, which confirms the prestigious position that the State of Qatar has reached on the international scene. In her speech during the meeting, Assistant Director of the QOC International Relations and Communication Department Sara Al Mesnad said that Qatar pays attention to developing gymnastics, and the position that Doha occupies as the capital of sports is not only the result of hosting major sports tournaments but also thanks to the great efforts made by its sports cadres. She emphasized that this Congress comes at an important time for gymnastics, as the decisions it will issue will contribute to shaping the future of this sport in the coming years. She added that the State of Qatar, as its custom, is committed to supporting this future by hosting ma jor championships in this sport and through the efforts of its cadres who play a prominent role in the development journey of gymnastics and contribute to achieving all its accomplishments. The Assistant Director of the QOC International Relations and Communication Department pointed out that Doha hosted the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup competitions at the beginning of 2024, which was one of the most important qualifying stations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She concluded her speech by saying that it was a pleasure to see the players who performed at a high level in Doha repeat their brilliance once again in the Olympic Games in Paris, which was an important step in the journey of gymnastics. She added that we all saw the high levels witnessed in that session, which reflects the sincere efforts made by the International FIG to develop this sport. For his part, President of the International Federation of Gymnastic, Morinari Watanabe praised Qatar's hosting of the 85th Congress of the International Gy mnastics Federation, and said in remarks to Qatar News Agency that it is not strange for Doha to embrace gymnastics globally, as it provides a lot of support to this sport through the International Federation and annually hosts the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Tour at Aspire Hall. Watanabe stressed the importance of holding the Congress in Doha, the capital of sports, praising the large number of attendees, which exceeded 500 participants from 157 countries. In turn, President of the Saudi Gymnastics Federation Sulaiman Al Jasser, expressed his happiness to participate in the Congress in Qatar, and explained that the Congress will witness the discussion of many topics and the holding of elections tomorrow, Friday. The FIG Congress will see the election of all FIG governing bodies, including a new President, three Vice-Presidents, seven Executive Committee members and 21 Executive Board members. A president and six members of the "Gymnastics for All" committee will also be elected, in addition to a presid ent and six members of the technical committees of the seven branches of the federation, and a new technical committee representing the sport of parkour will be formed for the first time. All elected officials will assume their duties starting from January 1, 2025 for a four-year tenure. The Congress will also witness the joining of five new national federations to the International Gymnastics Federation, namely the federations (Antigua and Barbuda, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Kenya, and Zambia), bringing the number of federations under the banner of the International Gymnastics Federation to 164. The Congress will discuss a number of other topics, most notably the adoption of the financial plan for the federation over the next four years (2025-2028). These financial plans will enable the Federation to implement its strategy and objectives, which include organizing world championships in the seven different branches of gymnastics, in addition to "Gymnastics for All" events, managing other international champions hips and events, and supporting educational and development programs at the global level. Participants will also discuss a series of reports from the Independent Ethics Foundation for Gymnastics, the International Solidarity Federation Foundation, highlighting the latest developments in athlete protection, and the Association of Summer International Olympic Federations' governance report. The Congress will also address proposed amendments to the International Federation's statutes, including the addition of "Para-gymnastics" as a new competition discipline, as well as the launch of a new brand name for the International Gymnastics Federation. Source: Qatar News Agency
Thursday, November 07, 2024