Among the plethora of Olympic sports, gymnastics often finds itself on top as the most popular. U.S. TV audiences and women sports fans across the globe have often voted the sport to be their favorite and most watched sport. However, despite its popularity, many NCAA-winning gymnasts who don’t make it to the Olympics have no way forward after college ends.

Unlike many sports with thriving professional leagues on a global scale, gymnastics has none. However, the Global Impact Gymnastics Alliance (GIGA) has taken up the monumental task of changing the status quo. “I think the first thing is, there’s a problem to solve.” said co-founder Maura Fox in a video on X. According to GIGA that problem robs athletes.

“The best athletes in the world can’t earn money or earn a living competing in their sport, which is kind of hard to fathom. It’s not just a problem for athletes, it’s a problem with fans, it inhibits the growth of the sport,” claimed Maura Fox. The GIGA co-founder explained how a lack of a professional league forces many talented gymnasts into quitting the sport for good.

“There’s no professional path forward from college, so what these women are looking at is having to retire after their collegiate career. So we want to provide that path forward,” Maura Fox said on X. The GIGA co-founder also said that the situation in gymnastics is in “stark contrast” to growth in other women’s sports such as basketball or track and field.

One example of GIGA’s argument would be NCAA champion Olivia Dunne. Despite making history at LSU the gymnast will have no other option to compete in gymnastics after her faith year at LSU ends in 2025. Now the LSU gymnastics icon with an $4 million NIL valuation is mulling her options beyond college gymnastics.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be a gymnastics coach because I did try that before and I wasn’t very good at it. But I think I’ll do something in the nil realm or something with LSU in the future,” Livvy Dunne said in a video on the LSU Tiger TV YouTube channel. No matter what Olivia Dunne chooses, she won’t have the option to continue competing. So how does GIGA’s plan of action?

The GIGA hopes to help gymnasts pursue their passion

Founders Maura Fox, Aimee Boorman, the ex-coach of 11x Olympic champion Simone Biles, and Laprise Williams hope to start a Gymnastics Pro League. “Create new pro system and establish new era for women’s gymnasts,” read the official “solution” section of the GIGA website. Besides giving athletes a stage to complete and fans an opportunity to cheer for their favorites, the league envisions financial success.

GIGA hopes to pay gymnasts “unprecedented prize purse, start money… Paid engagements,” and NIL brand deal benefits. These opportunities will give the athletes every chance to succeed in their goal of sustaining a full-time career in gymnastics. To make this dream a reality, GIGA is currently encouraging people to invest in their vision.

The current round of investments has raised $26,749. GIGA has already achieved a lot of success in its journey. They’ve raised $75K in investments, with an additional $75K secured through SAFE investments. They’ve also received two grants, one worth $80K and another for $40K, plus a $10K legal grant. On top of that, they’ve committed about $100K in sponsorship deals, with many more potential deals in the works, including partnerships in media, content, and tech.

GIGA has signed up 9 top Olympic gymnasts to be part of their project and has more than 15 others in talks. They’ve even gained support from prominent business leaders and big names in gymnastics, including coaches and judges, who are advising them on how to move forward.

They’ve also made huge progress in building the sport itself, creating a new “pro-level” code of points for competitions and getting approval from USA Gymnastics. Their work includes securing media and content licensing deals, a new website that’s already generating interest, and the beginning of an exciting gymnastics documentary about Becky Downie.

And while GIGA’s plans have not yet left the vision board, sports fans have already seen such events succeed. In September, Alexis Ohanian held the first edition of Athlos NYC. Appalled by the low prize money in professional track and field, Ohanian gave each winner $60,000 in prize money.

Similarly, Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track League in 2025 also has a mammoth prize pool of $12.6 million. Hence, it’s not too farfetched to think that something similar can’t be done for women’s gymnastics. And this is why GIGA is banking on investments to make their pro league reality.