THE IRCOS by FIG Project

Like all sports where human judging is the sole determining influence on ranking, Gymnastics must always keep in mind the concept of justice, the endogenous quality in a judge, and the tools, or exterior means available to him or her.

The first of these factors is based on the ethical standing of a judge, his/her education and moral and material independence with regard to his/her federation.

This aspect will not be dealt with in this report.

The second has to do with means, the tools available and the environment in which a judge can carry out his tasks with equanimity.

This is the issue at hand.

While perusing this article, it is important to keep in mind the evolution of Gymnastics, notably Artistic, and the Code of Points. In order for the discipline to evolve and blossom into the sport our founders of 1881 hoped for and in pursuing the vision of those who lead us today, a constant updating of the rules that guide our sport is essential.

The swift improvement of our gymnasts' performances and the natural evolution of the discipline rapidly depleted the resources offered by the Code. With startling alacrity, gymnasts reached and went beyond the limits set by the rules. Competitions at the close of the 20th century showed an increasing number of athletes ranking first, with the same number of points. The Code was no longer capable of differentiating between the performances of gymnasts in contention.

Artistic Gymnastics reached an impasse, the end of an era.

President Grandi takes the dossier in hand and, together with the Executive Commission, on September 30, 2004 decides to take the following immediate measures:

• The creation of video control;
• The possibility to object scores attributed to gymnasts;

Counter measures are taken.