Gymnastics Australia is considering leaving its Australian Institute of Sport base less than two years before the Olympic Games, ending a 37-year relationship and signalling another major change for the campus.
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The Canberra Times can reveal gymnastics officials are searching for a new home, citing an out-of-date and decaying facility as the main reason for uprooting its program in the capital.
Details of the move are yet to be finalised after gymnastics called for expressions of interests from state associations seeking short-term and long-term facility options.
Gymnastics Australia wants to vacate its 35-year-old building by February or March, but a lack of viable short-term options and the risk of disrupting Olympic preparations could prompt a relocation backflip.
Gymnastics was one of the eight foundation sports when the AIS was opened in 1981, but athletes and coaches have been using the same building since 1983 and it is in need of an urgent upgrade.
The sport's looming departure would be another change for the evolving AIS Canberra campus, which has transformed from its initial purpose as an athlete hub to become a centre of excellence offering a venue for training camps and research. The AIS and Australian Sports Commission will continue funding gymnastics.
The AIS is bracing for more change when the Federal government details its national sport plan, which is expected to be made public on Wednesday, and the commission is developing a business case for downsizing the AIS in a bid to revive the campus.
It is hoped the sport plan will shed light on the uncertain future of the AIS and potentially pave the way for the ACT government to buy unused assets, including Canberra Stadium and the AIS Arena.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said the government is keen to buy Canberra Stadium if the commission, a Federal government agency, is willing to sell it.
The commission is exploring options for downsizing its 64-hectare footprint in a physical overhaul of space to redesign the AIS into a "fit for purpose" hub to be a world leader in sports science and athlete wellbeing.
Gymnastics decided to move before the reallocation of resources, chief executive Kitty Chiller saying the decision to leave the capital was made because the sport didn't want to "limp to the Olympics" in Tokyo in 2020.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Chris Remkes has been based in Canberra since 2014 and is part of a four-person team using the AIS facilities.
"We've been in consultation with the AIS the whole way. The facility is old, it has some issues and some challenges," Chiller said.
"In order for it to be a world-class training venue for us, it would have needed some upgrades. That wasn't possible ... we could have limped along until Tokyo.
"But we decided it wasn't worth the risk of the building becoming not useable six months or even a year before the Tokyo Olympics.
"The decision was made to make the move sooner rather than later to have a controlled environment."
The move is expected to take up to six months after Gymnastics Australia asked its associations around the country to put forward proposals for a new training base.
They will also take $275,000 worth of equipment, signalling the relatively small program is unlikely to return to a new-look AIS when the campus gets the green light to make major changes.
The institute has been in a holding pattern for the past three years and the decision to cut up to 40 jobs earlier this year sparked fears about its future and ability to be a world leader.
"The [sports commission] is undertaking a strategic review of the AIS campus facilities and is working on developing a business case to present to [federal] government for consideration," a commission spokesperson said.
"The government and the ASC have already made their position clear that we remain committed to the AIS campus in Canberra and the long-term future of athletes onsite.
"Equally, the ASC and AIS are committed to providing national strategic leadership of Australian sport. This will include helping sports to get the right services, support and people all around the country."
The commission has given $3.2 million in funding to Gymnastics Australia, despite being a relatively small player in international gymnastics.
Australia has won just one medal at an Olympics, but there has been a history of world championship success, including Canberra-based Remkes, Lauren Mitchell and Philippe Rizzo.
Remkes is considered a medal hope at the Tokyo Olympics after winning gold on the vault at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year and winning gold at the World Cup last year.
Gymnastics Australia is planning the move to avoid disrupting Remkes preparation, but there are concerns leaving the AIS will have a major impact on Canberra clubs.
Southern Canberra, Woden and Canberra City have used the AIS facility and it has hosted several ACT state titles.
Southern Canberra operations manager Nadine Weight said: "It's a shame this is happening. We often take our kids out there and our senior gymnasts.
"It's a great facility, so to be losing it is hard for us because the club program is very busy. Hopefully this isn't the end of Gymnastics Australia in Canberra, hopefully they can come back in the future."
