The artistic gymnastics industry has experienced quite a few political upheavals in recent years, with the chairmen being replaced several times, but that has not stopped athletes from doing the work, returning from the biggest stage of the Olympics with two gold medals by Linoy Ashram and Artium Dolgofiat.
At the end of last year, another change took place, when Avi Sagi was appointed chairman of the gymnastics association, when he reached an industry that is in its heyday, in order to give the system peace and build it for the upcoming campaigns until Los Angeles 2028. The sports world is no stranger to Sagi, 75 years old Lezion, since he was a member of the board of the Football Association and chairman of Hapoel Petah Tikva.
Preparations for the European Championships in artistic gymnastics in Tel Aviv
"The truth is that I did not want to come. I was offered it even before the Olympics, I examined the matter and came," Sagi says in the first interview since being appointed to Israel Today about his appointment as chairman of the gymnastics association.
Why did I come?
I lived these associations, I did not disengage from the union and the chairwoman before Kinneret Side and I was a part of it along the way. "
And when you saw where the industry came from, it's not a bit of a big challenge right now?
"I got into very big shoes, 2 gold medals and now we have started to build a young team, there is art at the highest level - they are praised, nothing is missed and I have no views from the European Championships and the Olympics, because we are in the process of building - everything we bring now is a bonus."
And yet there is always something to improve.
"They wanted a coach from abroad and we brought them, but we had to see the girls at the beginning and what they did with them, when today I see how medals are achieved and are considered the best in Europe.
I also saw the beginning of the journey, how the five girls were in the beginning and what they were made of. "
"Also the first thing I did in the union, I made a decision not to do 20 years, to approve Ayelet Sussman as an artistic coach and Sergei Weisberg in instruments and gave them a quiet mouth until the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. Go to work and bring results. We do not deprive them of budgets, give all Their needs in the tent, including private wardrobes. "
Sagi with Ashram and Suzman, Photo: Athletics Association
And how do you see the industry today?
"I have traveled a lot in the field in recent months, I have visited all the associations from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat, I already know all the coaches, when there is no competition I have missed to this day, when I invest a lot of hours in it and respect everyone."
Yet gymnastics is not just artistic and instruments.
"There's no industry I have not dealt with or visited: acrobatics, trampoline, when the new branch of breakdancing has not yet entered it, we are examining it."
Would you like to see Linoy Ashram continue?
"We had Linoy when on a personal level I would like to see her continue, because she is a symbol, but we caught her in the system and she can not escape so quickly, because whoever does not remember the past, has no future so you can see we also caught Alex Shtilov and everyone who can "We will help him. Now there are talents of sorrow, there are no quarrels, we all do gymnastics, see the commitment."
Is there something missing from the industry today?
"There are things we still want to achieve for the gymnastics team as well, there is always something to improve and we are working on it now that they will have the best conditions."
And now the European Championship with a big production of the union, what does it look like there?
"It was very difficult to bring it here. In recent years, the union has worked hard to bring competitions here in recent years, the connections that have been made and the hard work that CEO Sarit Shinar does, when we are at the beginning of the European Championships, hoping to fill in the gaps."
"Now everyone is focused on the championship, we took the production with the money left in the system and we know how to direct it where we need it, we will do everything we can. I want as many spectators as possible. I know it's not football - but after all the achievements in the Olympics, I think these girls "Today, people are sitting here open-mouthed."
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