Two candidates to run for FIG Presidency. International Gymnastics Federation

The names of candidates for the presidency of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) were announced on saturday on the organization’s website. The elections to renew the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)’s decision-making bodies will take place on Friday 25 October 2024 during the 85th FIG Congress in Doha, Qatar. Same as 2021, two candidates are running for the position: Morinari Watanabe, current FIG President and Farid Gayibov, current European Gymnastics President.

The delegates of the national federations affiliated to the FIG will also elect the three vice-presidents, seven Executive Committee members and 21 Council members (by continental representation). Furthermore, a president and six members will be elected for the Gymnastics for All Committee and each FIG Technical Committee, as well as two auditors. Elected officials will take office on 1 January 2025 for a four-year term.

Elected for an initial four-year term at the Tokyo Congress in October 2016, Morinari Watanabe has become the ninth President of the FIG and the first non-European to hold the post. Before taking office, he had been the Secretary General of the Japanese Gymnastics Association since 2009.

Watanabe, whose first term was extended until December 2021 due to the one-year postponement of the FIG elections - has been re-elected for a three-year term (2022–2024) by the member Gymnastics federations at the83rd FIG Congress in Antalya, Turkey, in November 2021.

Since 2006, Farid Gayibov has been the Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation. In 2017, Gayibov was elected President of the European Gymnastics Union, later renamed European Gymnastics. On September 7, 2021, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev appointed Farid Gayibov to the post of Minister of Youth and Sports of the country.

In December 2022, he was re-elected President of the European Gymnastics Union (UEG) by a majority of the votes.The decision was announced at the 29th UEG congress in Albufeira, Portugal.