Parkour UK, as the recognised National Governing Body (NGB) / National Federation for the recognised sport of Parkour/Freerunning in the United Kingdom issued an open letter to Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) on the 31st March 2017 regarding the encroachment and misappropriation of our sport by FIG via ‘development of a related FIG discipline’ based on Parkour/Freerunning, as detailed in their press release dated 24th February 2017, Lausanne (Sui), FIG Office.
FIG responded to our open letter regarding the encroachment and misappropriation of our sport on the 20th April 2017.
As the recognised custodians of the recognised sport of Parkour/Freerunning in the UK and to protect and promote the integrity, rights, freedoms and interests of Traceurs/Freerunners (practitioners of our sport), our member organisations & the UK community – as well as by legitimate extension the international Parkour/Freerunning community – Parkour UK feel that it is both necessary, expedient and prudent to provide a further open letter to FIG in response to their letter dated 20th April 2017 to ensure our sport is neither misappropriated and/or encroached upon by FIG internationally and/or nationally by any FIG member National Federations.
A full copy of the further Open Letter of response to FIG’s letter to Parkour UK can be downloaded here & Appendix 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15
We would like to continue to invite and encourage other national communities to issue letters of support for Parkour UK’s position to FIG and cc in Parkour UK. We will collaborate to ensure protect and promote the integrity of our sport, the rights, freedoms and interests of Traceurs/Freerunners internationally & the international Parkour/Freerunning community.
Parkour/Freerunning is not “Gymnastics”, nor are Traceurs/Freerunners “Gymnasts”. We are our own sovereign sport with independently recognised distinct uniqueness and cultural status. We are Parkour/Freerunning, we are Traceurs/Freerunners.
#WeAreNOTGymnastics
