Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Monday, December 22, 2025, 4:26 p.m. / Updated Monday, December 22, 2025, 4:32 p.m.
Ioan Suciu (48 years old), president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG), analyzed for Agerpres the year that ends and in which the forum that he leads has faced several scandals.
Ioan Suciu, the president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, gave an interview to AGERPRES in which he touched on the problems the forum has faced recently.
“The year 2025 was a year of transition for the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and here I would point out a very important thing, namely the fact that, although the elections for the position of president of the federation took place in the spring of this year, the actual mandate actually began in the second half of August, with the decision of the Bucharest Court. For this reason, a large part of the year was marked by a period of administrative uncertainty which, surely, also influenced the pace strategic decisions, unfortunately”, said Ioan Suciu for the quoted source.
The president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation specified that, in the decision to suspend the activity of the women's national team, which requires that the athletes train at the clubs they belong to, it was not about a sanction, but about a “general reset”.
“I would point out that it was not about a sanction, but it was about a revival of everything that means the training process, construction, athletes' cores, collectives and so on, which were extremely divided. And then a general reset was needed, so to speak, after this year's goal competitions, to specifically edify how and in what way we will resettle 2026-2027, decisive years in qualifying for the Olympic Games.” said Ioan Suciu for the cited source.
Ioan Suciu: “The zero priority for us, as a federation, is the reorganization according to modern criteria”
He added: “In addition to the administrative difficulties generated by the leadership transition, the federation unfortunately also faced other extremely serious allegations: harassment, as you probably know, at the level of female athletes, abuse and bullying, extremely sensitive situations that cannot be ignored and which, I confess to you sincerely, deeply affect the image and credibility of gymnastics in equal measure. In this context, I decided to reorganize and activate an independent disciplinary commission, which until it was not functional for a long time, which I requested to analyze with maximum attention all the notifications received and to come quickly with concrete proposals for the implementation of appropriate measures”.
Ioan Suciu continued: “I consider it essential that these cases are handled with responsibility, transparency and respect for all parties involved, with the safety of the athletes at the heart of our concerns, obviously. At the same time, the sports results from some major competitions were below expectations, which forces us to an honest analysis and firm measures for the future”.
The President of the FRG was also asked about the objectives of 2026. “Considering the year 2026, the zero priority for us, as a federation, is the reorganization on modern criteria, in full agreement with the standards of European Gymnastics, FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) and so on. I am referring here, first of all, to the implementation and consolidation of the “safeguarding” procedures, which guarantee the physical and psychological safety of the athletes”, Suciu emphasized.
The official continued: “Also, improving training conditions. Let's not forget one extremely important point: the professionalization of coaches in coherent training and evaluation programs. The athletes, for their part, must be at the center of all our projects, and the federation has the obligation to create a safe, fair and efficient framework for their development, obviously. Another major objective that cannot be ignored is attracting sponsorships through solid, long-term partnerships. I believe that Romanian gymnastics needs a real openness to the private environment. We cannot sit indefinitely with our hand outstretched to the state. It is essential to build a sustainable model, based on credibility, transparency and very clear projects”.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation announced, on Monday, in a statement published on its official website, that Ana-Maria Bărbosu, Nicholas Țarcă and Leonard Manta were named the best gymnasts of 2025.
