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World Gymnastics — Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG)

The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), presenting itself as World Gymnastics since December 2025; founded in Liège on 23 July 1881 according to Olympedia, seated in Lausanne, ASOIF full member.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
Founded23 July 1881, Liège, Belgium, as the Bureau des Fédérations Européennes de Gymnastique (Olympedia); the federation itself gives 1881[2][1]
RenamedFédération Internationale de Gymnastique in 1921 (Olympedia); “World Gymnastics” designation announced 9 December 2025; the Statutes Edition 2025 keep the FIG as the legal name[2][7][16]
HeadquartersAvenue de la Gare 12A, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland; statutory seat Lausanne[1][16]
Legal formNot-for-profit association under Article 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code (Statutes, art. 1.1)[16]
MembersMore than 160 national federations (World Gymnastics); 165 (ASOIF); 167 as of January 2026 (Olympedia)[1][4][2]
RecognitionRecognised by the IOC (Statutes, art. 1.1; no date given); ASOIF full member; IWGA member; World Anti-Doping Code signatory[16][3][13][5]
DisciplinesGymnastics for All, men’s and women’s artistic, rhythmic, trampoline & tumbling, acrobatics, aerobics, parkour[1]
Rules cycleCodes of Points 2025–2028 in all seven competitive disciplines[6]

What is World Gymnastics?

World Gymnastics is the name under which the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) — in English, the International Gymnastics Federation — has presented itself since December 2025. Its About page gives both names and describes the body as “the world governing body” for gymnastics that has “been the governing body for Gymnastics worldwide recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)”.[1] The same page states that it was “Founded in 1881” and calls it “the oldest established international federation of any Olympic sport” — a description the federation applies to itself.[1]

Its statutes keep the French name as the legal one. Article 1.1 of the Statutes Edition 2025, in force from 1 January 2025, states that “The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique ("FIG") is the sole and exclusive world governing body for the disciplines of Gymnastics” — the federation’s own claim — and defines it as “a non-for-profit association established for an unlimited period of time and governed by Article 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code.” The same statutes allow it to operate “under various trademarks, trade names, logos, and other symbols, including but not limited to the designation 'World Gymnastics'.”[16]

The federation states that it “governs eight disciplines: Gymnastics for All, Men's and Women's Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline & Tumbling, Acrobatics, Aerobics and Parkour.”[1] The statutes’ definitions list Para Gymnastics as well.[16] The rules page carries a Code of Points for seven of them; Gymnastics for All is governed by a GfA Manual (Edition 2025) instead.[6]

Its rules page lists the “Statutes Edition 2025”, dated 16 December 2024.[6] ASOIF and Olympedia both name Morinari Watanabe of Japan as president.[4][2]

What does World Gymnastics govern or do?

Rules. The federation’s rules page lists a Code of Points for each competitive discipline in the 2025–2028 cycle: men’s artistic (dated 25 April 2025), women’s artistic (23 May 2025), rhythmic (6 March 2025, valid from 1 April 2025), trampoline (21 July 2025), aerobic (23 September 2025), acrobatic (26 February 2025) and parkour (22 April 2024). Above them sit the Technical Regulations 2026 (24 February 2026) and the General Judges’ Rules 2025–2028 (17 July 2025).[6] Judging runs on the four-year cycle; see officials and referees.

Anti-doping. The same page lists the FIG Anti-Doping Rules, dated 2 October 2020 and in force from 1 January 2021.[6] The federation’s anti-doping page states that “The FIG seeks to maintain the integrity of sport in gymnastics by running a comprehensive anti-doping program that focuses equally on education/prevention and on testing, with consequent sanctioning of those who break the rules.”[14] See anti-doping.

Athletes, judges and events. The federation’s site carries athlete licences, a judges’ education programme and an event calendar that includes its World Cup and World Challenge Cup series.[9][11] The same calendar also carries continental events, such as the 37th European Championships in Zagreb (19–23 August 2026), listed among recent men’s artistic events.[9]

When was World Gymnastics founded and where is it based?

Founding. Olympedia, an independent Olympic-history database, records that the federation “was founded on 23 July 1881, in Liège, Belgium, with three founding members: Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.”[15] The federation’s own About page gives the year, 1881, without a day or place.[1]

Names. Three names, each with its own date. Olympedia’s organisation page states: “The Bureau des Fédérations Européennes de Gymnastique (FEG) was founded on 23 July 1881”; it records the change to Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique in 1921, and that “In 2025, the organization's name was changed to World Gymnastics”.[2] The federation’s announcement is headed “FIG unveils new global identity: World Gymnastics” and reads: “The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) today announces a major rebrand, introducing its new name: World Gymnastics.”[8] Inside Gymnastics carries the release under the dateline “Lausanne (SUI), 9 December 2025”.[7] The Statutes Edition 2025, adopted before the announcement, keep “Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique” as the legal name and provide for its activities under trade names “including but not limited to the designation 'World Gymnastics'”; the federation still uses “FIG” in the titles of its rules, its World Cups and its anti-doping programme.[16][6]

Seat. Article 1.2 of the statutes provides: “The official headquarters and the management of the FIG are in Lausanne, Switzerland.”[16] The federation gives its address as Avenue de la Gare 12A, 1003 Lausanne, and states that it “has its headquarters in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne (SUI).”[1] ASOIF’s profile gives the same address, and Olympedia places the headquarters in Lausanne.[4][2] The founding city, Liège, and the seat, Lausanne, are separate facts.

How is World Gymnastics recognised?

IOC. Article 1.1 of the statutes states: “The FIG is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC); it is member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code.”[16] No retrieved source dates the IOC recognition. The sport’s Olympic history is a separate matter: Olympedia records that “Gymnastics has been contested at every Olympic Games”, that rhythmic gymnastics for women was added at Los Angeles 1984, and that “Los Angeles 2028 will bring the first change in the programme since Helsinki 1952.”[15] See Olympic programme.

ASOIF. The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations lists “World Gymnastics” among its 30 full members; its profile gives “Member Since: 1983”.[3][4]

IWGA. The International World Games Association, which lists 40 member federations, describes gymnastics as a “Founding Member, IWGA Member Federation since 1980”.[13] Its programme for Chengdu 2025 listed “Acrobatic, Aerobic, Parkour, Trampoline”; rhythmic gymnastics, on the programme from 2001 to 2022, was not included in 2025.[13]

WADA. The World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of Code signatories carries the federation under its earlier English name, “International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)”, under the heading for ASOIF members.[5]

What does World Gymnastics organise?

World Championships. The federation stages separate World Championships in each competitive discipline, each with its own edition number. On 30 September 2026 its calendar showed:

ChampionshipDatesHostStatus
42nd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships12–16 August 2026Frankfurt am Main (GER)Held
54th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships17–25 October 2026Rotterdam (NED)Scheduled
39th Trampoline & Tumbling World Championships4–8 November 2026Nanjing (CHN)Scheduled
43rd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships15–19 September 2027Baku (AZE)Scheduled

Dates and hosts are from the federation’s discipline calendars.[9][10][11] The rhythmic calendar also lists the 4th FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Junior World Championships in Cluj-Napoca (ROU), 23–27 June 2027.[10] See World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

World Cups. The calendar runs World Cup and World Challenge Cup series; among them the World Challenge Cups in Szombathely (18–20 September 2026) and Paris (26–27 September 2026) in men’s artistic, and trampoline World Cups in Riccione (3–4 October 2026) and Cottbus (17–18 October 2026).[9][11]

Multi-sport Games. Gymnastics has been on the programme of every Olympic Games, and The World Games programme names the federation as the governing federation for its acrobatic, aerobic, parkour and trampoline events at Chengdu 2025 (see The World Games).[15][13]

Who are its members?

Count. Three figures, each from a different source and date. The federation states that it “has more than 160 national member federations.”[1] ASOIF’s profile gives 165, the figure the federation used in its rebrand announcement as reported by Inside Gymnastics (“165 member federations”).[4][7] Olympedia gives 167 “As of January 2026”.[2]

Continental unions. The federation’s directory names five: the “UNION AFRICAINE DE GYMNASTIQUE” (UAG), the “ASIAN GYMNASTICS UNION” (AGU), “EUROPEAN GYMNASTICS” (EG), the “UNION PANAMERICANA DE GIMNASIA” (PAGU) and the “OCEANIA GYMNASTICS UNION” (OGU).[12] See European Gymnastics and the Pan American union, UPAG. The directory lists 173 contacts in all, a figure that includes the unions themselves and is not a member count.[12]

National federations include USA Gymnastics and Brazil’s CBG, both listed in the federation’s directory.[12]

References

  1. World Gymnastics — About us. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  2. Olympedia — World Gymnastics (organisation page). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  3. ASOIF — Members (full members list). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  4. ASOIF — Member profile: World Gymnastics. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  5. WADA — Code signatories. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  6. World Gymnastics — Rules (statutes, regulations, Codes of Points 2025–2028, anti-doping rules). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  7. Inside Gymnastics — International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) unveils new global identity: World Gymnastics (9 December 2025). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  8. World Gymnastics — FIG unveils new global identity: World Gymnastics (news; title and summary). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  9. World Gymnastics — Men’s Artistic discipline page (events calendar). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  10. World Gymnastics — Rhythmic discipline page (events calendar). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  11. World Gymnastics — Trampoline & Tumbling discipline page (events calendar). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  12. World Gymnastics — Unions and Federations (directory). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  13. The World Games (IWGA) — Gymnastics. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  14. World Gymnastics — Anti-doping. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  15. Olympedia — Artistic Gymnastics (sport page). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  16. FIG — Statutes Edition 2025 (in force 1 January 2025). Accessed 2026-09-30.