The“first of its kind” professional women’s gymnastics league is spearheaded by Maura Fox, LaPrise Williams and former Olympic gymnastics coach Aimee Boorman, who trained gymnastics superstar Simone Biles since she was eight. 

The league plans to host its initial event in 2025 with a roster of post-collegiate, international and perhaps elite gymnasts who aren’t ready to essentially be forced into retirement by circumstance. Co-founders Boorman, Fox and Williams believe the spike in popularity of women’s sports in general — from the Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese-fueled interest in basketball to soccer to hockey — and NCAA gymnastics in recent years have created a landscape where a professional league will work.

"Women’s gymnastics, the most-watched Olympic sport, has no pro system, and this results in a series of negative impacts to athletes, fans, and the sport overall,” said GIGA’s in their offering statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "GIGA introduces an innovative solution to unlock the sport’s true potential, combining a women’s pro league and multimedia platform to enable athletes on field of play, captivate fans, and propel gymnastics into a new era."

There was once a belief in the U.S. that female gymnasts needed to be in their teens if they wanted to compete at the highest levels of the sport, which is no longer the case in 2024. There’s a strong likelihood that the US Gymnastics Olympic team for Paris will be comprised almost entirely of athletes in their 20s, led by the 27-year-old Biles.

"With the average age of Olympic gymnasts continuing to climb, we are seeing that there is a necessity for an additional environment that supports and celebrates the phenomenal athletes in our sport outside of the traditional arenas of national and college competition," Cal women’s co-head coach Liz Crandall-Howell told the Associated Press. 

The shift is due to several factors, including the easing of NCAA compensation rules that allow elite gymnasts like 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee to compete collegiately while cashing in on their success through Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals. Image-based NIL deals lead the way for college athletes like LSU’s Livvy Dunne, one of the most recognisable and top-earning college athletes on social media, to help raise gymnatics’ profile to something beyond the every-four-year fascination with the Olympics.

GIGA wants to provide an outlet for gymnasts both athletically and financially —a middle ground between the NCAA and elite levels— believing the league will let the athletes remain in the sport longer, letting them grow their personal brand in the process.

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 lean toward artistry over difficulty, with plenty of opportunities for athletes still looking to push their skills. The league also plans to lean into AI and tech to give viewers specific metrics on everything from the speed of a gymnast sprinting down the vault runway to the height they reach during a tumbling pass.

"This event is not going to be a show, it is going to 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."