Dear Friends

This summer has been uniquely intense for Gymnastics. The stages of our World Championships in Cancun, Levallois, Izmir and Nanning took place alongside other important international events such as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing and the Asian Games in Incheon.

Our gymnasts, with the support of their entourage, carried the weight of a calendar brimming with high-level events, which tapped heavily into organisation resources and budgets. The calendar is the object of my utmost attention.

It is the backbone of our federation. It sets the rhythm of our events, sets objectives for our affiliated federations, and slates the stages that guide gymnastics toward Olympic qualification. A calendar is a strategic element in its own right. It is devised to:

• be well-balanced,

• maintain a front stage position for our sport among top current events and in the media.

You may ask why we don’t connect events in a way that will tell a story over the course of a season, a cycle.

Organised visibility draws sponsors and increases the value of our product. Many are the round tables, debates and symposiums that have been devoted to this topic. Everyone agrees on the need to organise our calendar, and fast.

I applaud this step toward the future, and look forward to seeing everyone embrace not only the decisions that have been taken, but also the sacrifices needed to get there.

We have no other choice.

With my compliments.