By Duncan Mackay 

Bruno Grandi announced today that he will not re-election as President of FIG when his current term ends in 2016 ©FIGBruno Grandi is to step down as President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) next year, which will end a 19-year reign as head of the sport.


The 80-year-old Italian announced he will not seek a new mandate when his current one ends at the start of the 80th Congress of FIG, which started in Tashkent today. 

"Before officially opening this Congress, I would like to clarify something about my current position in order to avoid any misunderstandings," he told delegates.

"My friends, in October 2016 I will not be in the running for the FIG presidency.

"For this reason I would like to offer encouragement to those who will be taking up the gauntlet in the future."

Following a failed attempt replace Russia's nine-time Olympic medallist Yuri Titov as President in 1992, Grandi was elected at the 1996 Congress in Atlanta.

He was re-elected on four occasions, at Marrakech in 2000, Antayla in 2004, Helsinki in 2008 and Cancun in 2012.

At the last election three years ago, Grandi earned 68 votes to 24 for Russia's Vassily Titov and 14 for Romanian Adrian Stoica.

As FIG president, Grandi has overseen two of the biggest recent changes in the sport - abandoning the 10.0 scale as part of an overhaul of the scoring system, and raising the minimum age for the Olympics and World Championships to 16.

Gymnastics success at London 2012 helped earn it promotion to the top tier of Olympic sports for Rio 2016 ©Getty ImagesGymnastics success at London 2012 helped earn it promotion to the top tier of Olympic sports for Rio 2016 ©Getty Images

Many of the changes introduced under Grandi have proved controversial but the sport has continued to prosper and, following London 2012, it was promoted to the top tier of Olympic sports, alongside aquatics and athletics.

The move should mean a significant funding boost for FIG after Rio 2016. 

Under Grandi, a former member of the International Olympic Committee, the sport has also become more global with several countries who were previously on the fringes of international competition making an impact, including Australia, Brazil, Britain and France. 

FIG plan to elect a new President at next year's Congress, which is due to be held in either Orlando or Tokyo, with a decision here to be made in Tashkent.

Whoever is elected, they will be only the ninth President in the 134-year history of FIG.

The longest-serving incumbent was founding President, Belgium's Nicholas J. Cupérus, elected in 1881 and held the position for 43 years. 

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October 2008: World Gymnastics re-elects Grandi to oversee sport for London 2012