Gymnastics

Gymnastics
Highest governing bodyFédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG)
First playedBegan in ancient Greece (Sparta and Athens)
Characteristics
ContactNo contact
Mixed-sexNo, separate
Type
  • - summer sport
  • - 1 gymnastic sports governed by FIG
  • - other disciplines not governed by FIG
Equipment


VenueGymnasium
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide
OlympicYes, Summer Olympics

Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance.[1] The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.[2]

The most common form of competitive gymnastics is artistic gymnastics (AG), which consists of, for women (WAG), the events floor, vault, uneven bars, and beam; and for men (MAG), the events floor, vault, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars, and horizontal bar.

The governing body for competition in gymnastics throughout the world is the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). Eight sports are governed by the FIG, including gymnastics for all, men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining (including double mini-trampoline), tumbling, acrobatic, aerobic, and parkour.[3] Disciplines not recognized by FIG include wheel gymnastics, aesthetic group gymnastics, TeamGym, and mallakhamba.

Participants in gymnastics-related sports include young children, recreational-level athletes, and competitive athletes at all levels of skill.

  1. ^ "Gymnastics | Events, Equipment, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  2. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Solly, Meilan. "A History of Gymnastics, From Ancient Greece to Tokyo 2020". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  3. ^ "About the FIG". FIG. Retrieved May 31, 2019.