Gymnastics is, without a doubt, one of the most popular sporting events at the Olympic Games. This is the chance for the world's elite gymnasts to compete against each other for the coveted gold medals.

Rarely does an Olympic year pass by without a new gymnastic star becoming a favorite of the tabloids. But the events we watch today bear little resemblance to the gymnastics sports of the ancient Olympic games in Greece where it all began.


Origins of gymnastics

Gymnastics is derived from a Greek word 'gumnos', meaning naked, which is apparently just what the ancient Greeks did while exercising in gymnasiums. Not surprisingly, women were excluded from participating or watching. Some of these exercises were turned into competitive events in early Olympic Games with events such as tumbling, wrestling and vaulting over bulls.

Other gymnastics exercises included cartwheels, backbends and various acrobatics. With the abandonment of the Olympic Games in AD393, it wasn’t until some 1500 years later, that gymnastics would return to world competition.

Early modern gymnastics

During the 1800s, gymnastics began developing as a competitive sport and exhibitions were held by athletics and school clubs. Over time, gymnastics became increasingly popular and it was introduced to the United States in the 1830s by immigrants Charles Beck, Charles Follen and Francis Lieber.

Initially, there were two opposing styles of gymnastics: a Swedish system consisting of mainly freestyle exercises and the German system which used apparatus. Open air gymnasiums became popular in Europe where customs such as 'marching on' and 'saluting the judges' is still in evidence in gymnastics today.

In 1881, the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (Fig) was founded, paving the way for international competition.

The modern Olympics  

Gymnastics was included at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. However, at that stage only men were able to participate and it wasn’t until 1928 that women would also compete. The 18 competing gymnasts came from five nations and participated in voluntary routines consisting of the high bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, vault and rope climbing. Back then the medals awarded were Gold, Silvergold and Silver.

Between 1896 and 1924, the sport gradually evolved and the term 'artistic gymnastics' was born. This included more of the free-flowing styles of gymnastics which we see today, while activities such as rock lifting, rope climbing and club swinging were gradually phased out.

Apparatus evolution

By 1936, the men’s events were similar to today's program and consisted of free exercises (early floor routine), rings side (pommel) horse, parallel bars, horizontal bars and long horse. The women took part in compulsory and individual exercises on the parallel bars, balance beam, side horse vault and two optional team drills, and in 1948 there was also a compulsory exercise on the rings.

In 1952, the four-apparatus program was introduced for women. Though similar to the apparatus seen in today's gyms, the vault and bars have undergone various transformations over the years. For example, the bars have become wider and are now spaced around six feet apart to enable the gymnasts adequate space to perform quick release moves similar to the men's high bar.

Gymnastics today

The umbrella term of 'gymnastics' now covers a broader range of gymnastic disciplines including artistic, rhythmic, the trampoline, aerobic and acrobatic gymnastics. Of them all, it’s the artistic displays which  seem to attract the greatest audiences. During the 1970s, the Russians and Romanians tended to dominate among the medal winners with stars including Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci.

Now though, as the popularity of the sport continues to grow, countries around the world including the US, China, Australia and many European countries, are all equally capable of producing world champion gymnasts.

Gymnastics has evolved over the centuries from a form of exercising into a sport requiring immense skill, strength, precision and of course, endless hours of training. As long as there are new generations of gymnasts and coaches willing to put in the time and dedication needed to succeed, gymnastics will always have an audience willing to watch in awed fascination at the incredible capabilities of the human body.