Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation, has predicted a bright future for Bermuda’s gymnasts after visiting the island.

Watanabe, who was in Bermuda for three days, visited the Bermuda Gymnastics Association, Quality Gymnastics Bermuda and the National Sports Centre.

He also met with Owen Darrell, the Minister of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport, Kimberly Charryse Bean, the director of the Department of Sport and Recreation, Gymnastics Federation of Bermuda leadership, and Bermuda Olympic Association president Peter Dunne.

Watanabe was impressed with the talent on the island but feels that facilities will need to be improved for gymnasts to make it to the highest level

“I saw that Bermuda has gymnasts with great talent that can get medals at the Olympic Games,” the FIG president told The Royal Gazette.

“That’s why I came here. I want to provide support for those gymnasts. They have great potential to win medals at the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032.

“Their talent is similar to that of Simone Biles, a gold medal-winner at the Olympics, but the facilities are not enough to produce medal-winners. That’s why I held talks with the Minister of Sport and the Olympic association because gymnastics does not need an expensive facility.

“We have a programme for the young and old. When older people get involved in gymnastics, the social security cost goes down.”

Watanabe, who has been at the helm of the FIG since 2017, recalled how he predicted the success of Carlos Yulo, a gold medal-winner for Philippines at the Paris Olympics.

“Eight years ago, I visited Philippines when I started my tenure as president and I found a talented gymnast,” the 66-year-old said.

“At that time gymnastics in Philippines was not being taken seriously, so he even thought of representing Japan. Eight years later, at the Paris Olympic Games, he got two gold medals.

“Bermuda has a good coach, who is an Olympian from France [Frédérick Nicolas]. The only problem is the facilities, they need more facilities to support the young talent.

“Gymnastics also provides fundamental sports skills for other sporting codes. This is the reason why the United States, China, Japan, and Russia get a lot of medals in many sports.

“In those countries, all young athletes start from gymnastics. When they go to other sporting codes, they find it easy to adjust because they have learnt the physical fundamentals.”

Darrell described the engagements he had with Watanabe, Dunne and the GFB as lively.

“It was great to meet Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation and IOC member, alongside Bermuda Olympic Association president Peter Dunne and the passionate team from the Gymnastics Federation of Bermuda,” Darrell said.

“We had energising conversations about Bermuda’s gymnastic talent and the role sport plays in building stronger communities. I am proud to reaffirm our commitment to athletes and deepen ties with global sporting leaders.”

Dunne viewed Watanabe’s visit as a great opportunity for gymnastics to grow on the island.

“We are fortunate to be part of an organisation where the world leader in that sport is interested in coming to Bermuda,” the BOA president said.

“The fact that we went to the gym in St David’s and Quality Gymnastics, looking at the athlete with a technical eye. It’s great to know that opportunities exist for our athletes to be viewed by people who have seen many of the greatest athletes in that sport.

“Watanabe was one of the candidates for the IOC presidency. He is well connected within the Olympic movement and I think it creates more opportunities for the Gymnastics Federation of Bermuda.”

Julie Bortoli, the GFB president, looked at the international federation president's visit as a great chance to showcase the unity existing in the sport.

“For us it was a great privilege to be on the list of countries visited by Watanabe,” she said.

“He came here to see our programme, which was amazing. What this can do for our sport is seeing that FIG has an interest in us, that will help to inspire parents, coaches and the athletes.

“He spoke to the young athletes when he visited the facilities. I think that can also help people to see that we have the buy-in and we have the opportunity to bring more children through the programme.

“What we’re always looking for is more support and more engagement from all parties. Having Watanabe here showed that we’re a unified group and we continue to work together to promote the sport of gymnastics.”

For GBF vice-president Peter James, getting the seal of approval from Watanabe was encouraging.

“This is an exciting time for us,” the Quality Gymnastics Bermuda owner said.

“I've been to federation meetings where there are 172 countries, and you’re just a grain of rice. To have him give us this attention, focus and engage with us is really fantastic.

“To get a vote of approval for our programme is a great opportunity. It’s exciting that he’s seen gymnasts from all over the world, and he was blown away by our talent.

“It’s something that we should take note of, and rally behind our young gymnasts to see how far they can go with the sport.”