The Global Impact Gymnastics Alliance (GIGA) was launched as the first professional women’s gymnastics league for athletes to have competitions beyond the Olympic Games. This league is spearheaded by Maura Fox, LaPrise Williams and Aimee Boorman, former coach of Simone Biles and plans to host its initial event in 2025 with a roster of post-collegiate, international and some elite gymnasts.

The league’s founders believe the rise in popularity of women’s sports has created a landscape in which a professional league can work. “Women’s gymnastics, the most watched Olympic sport, does not have a professional system, and this results in a number of negative impacts for athletes, fans and the sport in general,” GIGA said in its offering statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission. GIGA presents an innovative solution to unlock the true potential of the sport, combining a professional women’s league and a multimedia platform to enable athletes on the field, captivate fans and propel gymnastics into a new era.”

GIGA wants to provide an outlet for gymnasts from both an athletic and financial standpoint (a middle ground between the NCAA and elite levels), believing that the league will allow athletes to stay in the sport longer, allowing them to grow their personal brand in the process.

AI TO THE VIEWERS

GIGA will use the 10.0 scoring system to make it more accessible to casual fans than the more complex international scoring system, with a slight leaning toward artistry over difficulty, with plenty of opportunities for athletes still looking to improve their skills. The league also plans to lean on artificial intelligence and technology to provide viewers with specific metrics on everything from a gymnast’s speed running down the vaulting track to the height she reaches during a spinning pass.

“This event won’t be a show, it will be a competition,” Boorman said. “We really want to honor the athletes and their physical prowess. They are the best in the world at what they do.”