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Olympic capital cheerfully invaded by 65,000 athletes for the 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival 2025
Rhythmic gymnastics team Performance in Beaulieu Congress Centre, Lausanne (Photo By Lausanne2025)
Nadine Alsheikh Hassan – AIPS Media
AIPS ASIA News:
LAUSANNE, June 21, 2025 – When the Swiss do gymnastics, they don’t mess around. Lausanne, the Olympic capital, now hosts the 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival (Fête Fédérale de Gymnastique) from 12 to 22 June, a once-every-six-years national spectacle uniting over 65,000 gymnasts from 1,372 clubs across the nation in a full-throttle celebration of Swiss heritage, movement and community spirit.
A gymnastics team performing apparatus routines at Beaulieu (Photo: Florian Aeby / Lausanne2025)INCLUSIVE GAMESThe beauty of this festival lies in its wide range. You’ll find Olympic-grade rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline competitions sharing a schedule with dodgeball, parkour, and the ultra-Swiss Steinstossen (traditional stone-throwing). For the first time, athletes with disabilities are fully integrated into seven competitions, no side lanes, no special categories, just “Spirits in Motion.”5,000 VOLUNTEERS, ONE SPIRIT The soul of this event? Volunteers, over 5,000 of them. Playing a vital role in logistics, coordination, and operations across all venues, from transport and information desks to equipment setup and athlete services, they ensure the smooth running of Switzerland’s largest sporting festival. A significant part of the organising committee consists of experienced volunteers whose multilingual abilities and local knowledge directly contribute to the event’s success.
A CITY IN MOTION This year’s edition featured 22 disciplines, including para-sports, 27 venues, and a projected CHF 29 million budget. Spectators? 300,000 and counting. Host locations are divided into three locations:
-
Quartier Ville (Town District): Artistic gymnastics & apparatus events, athletics events. Montbenon, Bergières, and Vieux-Moulin host opening & closing events.
-
Quartier Lac (Lake District): Youth-focused sport disciplines like athletics, indiaca, volleyball, unihockey, basketball, and traditional stone-throwing “Steinstossen” (yes, that’s a thing).
-
Quartier Fête (Festival District: lakeshore): The Ouchy-Olympique zone comes alive with food trucks, live concerts, dance shows, and the flagship “Gymagine” performance.
A gymnastics team performing apparatus routines at Beaulieu (Photo: Florian Aeby / Lausanne2025)INCLUSIVE GAMESThe beauty of this festival lies in its wide range. You’ll find Olympic-grade rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline competitions sharing a schedule with dodgeball, parkour, and the ultra-Swiss Steinstossen (traditional stone-throwing). For the first time, athletes with disabilities are fully integrated into seven competitions, no side lanes, no special categories, just “Spirits in Motion.”5,000 VOLUNTEERS, ONE SPIRIT The soul of this event? Volunteers, over 5,000 of them. Playing a vital role in logistics, coordination, and operations across all venues, from transport and information desks to equipment setup and athlete services, they ensure the smooth running of Switzerland’s largest sporting festival. A significant part of the organising committee consists of experienced volunteers whose multilingual abilities and local knowledge directly contribute to the event’s success.
“The spirit of this festival lives in the people who make it run, most of whom are not paid,”said Competition Director Julien Crisinel.“That’s how we keep the soul of Swiss gymnastics alive.”
Volunteers in action at athletics venue, Stade de la Pontaise (Photo by Agnieszka Wolska / Lausanne2025)
MORE THAN JUST MEDALS This festival isn’t about record times or perfect 10s. It’s a celebration of community spirit, linguistic diversity, and generations thriving together. From toddlers tumbling in mini-gym zones to families cheering from sidelines and seniors competing in 50+ categories, Swiss gymnastics is showing that its true essence lies in unity, joy, and shared tradition, not just sport.
Christelle Luisier Brodard, President of the Council of State of Vaud, on the meaning of this Festival to the city:“It is a spectacular programme, tailor-made for our region, showcasing Lausanne’s commitment and hospitality.”
An athlete prepares for traditional “Steinstossen” stone-throwing event at the National Games in Dorigny. (Photo: Dan Schiumarini / Lausanne2025)
VENUES AS ACCOMMODATION To house thousands of athletes, gyms doubled as accommodation and added to the city’s logistical puzzle. A massive 75,000 m² campsite across three sites in Lausanne-Vidy and the UNIL campus hosts 20,000 gymnasts, with another 8,000 sleeping in gymnasiums. At its peak, Lausanne welcomed 30,000 gymnasts in a single day, said Gaël Lasserre, General Director of Lausanne 2025.
“Our club, Turnverein Gossau ZH, was founded in 1895. We’re based in the Zurich Oberland region and have around 100 members. 35 of us are taking part in the festival, competing in athletics, apparatus gymnastics, team aerobics, and the all-around competition.
“In evenings, we spent the night in the gym with 24 junior athletes, it was a unique experience for them!”said Nicola Kohler, a bright 23-year-old gymnast speaking from the buzzing corridors of the competition halls. By his side was his father, Beat Kohler, 59, a devoted gymnastics enthusiast who still practises the sport with passion.
Athletes’ camping site in Chavannes (Photo by Daniel Sandu / Lausanne2025)
NEXT HOST: TICINO Around 85% of the clubs in the 2025 edition come from German-speaking Switzerland. But French-speaking Switzerland is also well represented with 180 registered clubs, said Lasserre. And Canton of Ticino, the next host, is not lagging either, with 19 clubs taking part for the Italian-speaking Switzerland.
“We are excited to host the 78th edition of the Federal Gymnastics Festival in 2031. It will be a great opportunity to showcase our vibrant gymnastics culture here in the region,”said Letizia Conedera, gymnastics coach ofSFG Bellinzona Club.
LAUSANNE DELIVERS! 74 years since the last Federal Gymnastics Festival hosted in Vaud, Lausanne’s infrastructure, scenic lakeside, and Olympic heritage form a picture-perfect backdrop for this historic event. Transport may be strained, sure, but nobody seems to mind. The vibe? Festive, welcoming, loud & colourful, and, in true Swiss fashion, impressively organised.
Bustling crowds at Lausanne Gare station during 2025 Federal Gymnastics Festival (Photo: Lausanne 2025)
Courtesy AIPS Media
Olympic capital cheerfully invaded by 65,000 athletes for the 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival 2025
Rhythmic gymnastics team Performance in Beaulieu Congress Centre, Lausanne (Photo By Lausanne2025)
Nadine Alsheikh Hassan – AIPS Media
AIPS ASIA News:
LAUSANNE, June 21, 2025 – When the Swiss do gymnastics, they don’t mess around. Lausanne, the Olympic capital, now hosts the 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival (Fête Fédérale de Gymnastique) from 12 to 22 June, a once-every-six-years national spectacle uniting over 65,000 gymnasts from 1,372 clubs across the nation in a full-throttle celebration of Swiss heritage, movement and community spirit.
A gymnastics team performing apparatus routines at Beaulieu (Photo: Florian Aeby / Lausanne2025)INCLUSIVE GAMESThe beauty of this festival lies in its wide range. You’ll find Olympic-grade rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline competitions sharing a schedule with dodgeball, parkour, and the ultra-Swiss Steinstossen (traditional stone-throwing). For the first time, athletes with disabilities are fully integrated into seven competitions, no side lanes, no special categories, just “Spirits in Motion.”5,000 VOLUNTEERS, ONE SPIRIT The soul of this event? Volunteers, over 5,000 of them. Playing a vital role in logistics, coordination, and operations across all venues, from transport and information desks to equipment setup and athlete services, they ensure the smooth running of Switzerland’s largest sporting festival. A significant part of the organising committee consists of experienced volunteers whose multilingual abilities and local knowledge directly contribute to the event’s success.
A CITY IN MOTION This year’s edition featured 22 disciplines, including para-sports, 27 venues, and a projected CHF 29 million budget. Spectators? 300,000 and counting. Host locations are divided into three locations:
-
Quartier Ville (Town District): Artistic gymnastics & apparatus events, athletics events. Montbenon, Bergières, and Vieux-Moulin host opening & closing events.
-
Quartier Lac (Lake District): Youth-focused sport disciplines like athletics, indiaca, volleyball, unihockey, basketball, and traditional stone-throwing “Steinstossen” (yes, that’s a thing).
-
Quartier Fête (Festival District: lakeshore): The Ouchy-Olympique zone comes alive with food trucks, live concerts, dance shows, and the flagship “Gymagine” performance.
A gymnastics team performing apparatus routines at Beaulieu (Photo: Florian Aeby / Lausanne2025)INCLUSIVE GAMESThe beauty of this festival lies in its wide range. You’ll find Olympic-grade rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline competitions sharing a schedule with dodgeball, parkour, and the ultra-Swiss Steinstossen (traditional stone-throwing). For the first time, athletes with disabilities are fully integrated into seven competitions, no side lanes, no special categories, just “Spirits in Motion.”5,000 VOLUNTEERS, ONE SPIRIT The soul of this event? Volunteers, over 5,000 of them. Playing a vital role in logistics, coordination, and operations across all venues, from transport and information desks to equipment setup and athlete services, they ensure the smooth running of Switzerland’s largest sporting festival. A significant part of the organising committee consists of experienced volunteers whose multilingual abilities and local knowledge directly contribute to the event’s success.
“The spirit of this festival lives in the people who make it run, most of whom are not paid,”said Competition Director Julien Crisinel.“That’s how we keep the soul of Swiss gymnastics alive.”
Volunteers in action at athletics venue, Stade de la Pontaise (Photo by Agnieszka Wolska / Lausanne2025)
MORE THAN JUST MEDALS This festival isn’t about record times or perfect 10s. It’s a celebration of community spirit, linguistic diversity, and generations thriving together. From toddlers tumbling in mini-gym zones to families cheering from sidelines and seniors competing in 50+ categories, Swiss gymnastics is showing that its true essence lies in unity, joy, and shared tradition, not just sport.
Christelle Luisier Brodard, President of the Council of State of Vaud, on the meaning of this Festival to the city:“It is a spectacular programme, tailor-made for our region, showcasing Lausanne’s commitment and hospitality.”
An athlete prepares for traditional “Steinstossen” stone-throwing event at the National Games in Dorigny. (Photo: Dan Schiumarini / Lausanne2025)
VENUES AS ACCOMMODATION To house thousands of athletes, gyms doubled as accommodation and added to the city’s logistical puzzle. A massive 75,000 m² campsite across three sites in Lausanne-Vidy and the UNIL campus hosts 20,000 gymnasts, with another 8,000 sleeping in gymnasiums. At its peak, Lausanne welcomed 30,000 gymnasts in a single day, said Gaël Lasserre, General Director of Lausanne 2025.
“Our club, Turnverein Gossau ZH, was founded in 1895. We’re based in the Zurich Oberland region and have around 100 members. 35 of us are taking part in the festival, competing in athletics, apparatus gymnastics, team aerobics, and the all-around competition.
“In evenings, we spent the night in the gym with 24 junior athletes, it was a unique experience for them!”said Nicola Kohler, a bright 23-year-old gymnast speaking from the buzzing corridors of the competition halls. By his side was his father, Beat Kohler, 59, a devoted gymnastics enthusiast who still practises the sport with passion.
Athletes’ camping site in Chavannes (Photo by Daniel Sandu / Lausanne2025)
NEXT HOST: TICINO Around 85% of the clubs in the 2025 edition come from German-speaking Switzerland. But French-speaking Switzerland is also well represented with 180 registered clubs, said Lasserre. And Canton of Ticino, the next host, is not lagging either, with 19 clubs taking part for the Italian-speaking Switzerland.
“We are excited to host the 78th edition of the Federal Gymnastics Festival in 2031. It will be a great opportunity to showcase our vibrant gymnastics culture here in the region,”said Letizia Conedera, gymnastics coach ofSFG Bellinzona Club.
LAUSANNE DELIVERS! 74 years since the last Federal Gymnastics Festival hosted in Vaud, Lausanne’s infrastructure, scenic lakeside, and Olympic heritage form a picture-perfect backdrop for this historic event. Transport may be strained, sure, but nobody seems to mind. The vibe? Festive, welcoming, loud & colourful, and, in true Swiss fashion, impressively organised.
Bustling crowds at Lausanne Gare station during 2025 Federal Gymnastics Festival (Photo: Lausanne 2025)
Courtesy AIPS Media
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