November 06, (THEWILL) – Morinari Watanabe has been re-elected as the president of the International Gymnastics Federation by a vote of 81 to 47 during the organisation’s congress in Antalya.
Following a resolution passed by Congress yesterday, Watanabe will be president for another three years. Although Farid Gayibov of Azerbaijan challenged the Japanese official for the position, Watanabe’s second term will begin on January 1, 2024, and end on December 31, 2024.
This comes from a decision passed on Friday that mandated elected authorities to serve three-year terms for the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle, after current mandates were extended for a year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in me,” Watanabe said. “My policy as FIG President is to support the national federations. I have visited many countries and have seen the training facilities they have.
“I have talked to athletes and officials in each country while looking into their eyes. The FIG and the national federations share their problems and together we try to solve them.
“Let’s build a bright future together.”
Watanabe had come under fire in the run-up to the election after Japanese embassies campaigned on his favour, but the official dismissed the accusations, claiming that embassy assistance allowed him to convey his ideas with national gymnastics federations he could not visit.
Watanabe earned 100 of the 119 votes cast in 2016, compared to then-UEG President Georges Guelzec of France obtaining 19.
Vice-presidential elections were also held, with five candidates vying for three positions.
The FIG Executive Committee will consist of the President, three vice presidents, and the Presidents of the Technical Committees and the Gymnastics for All (GfA) Committee.
They will be joined by the FIG’s seven elected Executive Committee members, as well as the chair of the Athletes’ Commission and the Presidents of the Continental Associations.
The Congress allegedly drew delegates from 130 countries to the Turkish resort of Antalya.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
