History

Gymnastics is one of the oldest Olympic Sports and consequently, it is a sport linked to the Games of the Antiquity. Athletes had to perform many trials called together “Gymnastics”. Among these trials there were wrestling and jump above bull. The noun “gymnastic” comes from the Greek “gumnos” that means naked (woman were not accepted during the Games excepted priestess) and from the Latin “gymnasticus” which means physical exercise.

• Origin

Historical testimonies show that 1000 years before our era (2700 – 1400 AC), the king Minos and his fellow gave a royal support to the physical exercises practice.

Gymnastics knew a real development at the XIX century. Two styles were competing: the Swedish model (free exercise in team) and the German model (using apparatus). Many outdoors gymnasiums were created in Europe during this century. There were locations where men performed physical exercise in order to impress their partner.

Gymnastics was considered as a necessity to have rigor in the army. Today we still have vestige of this military passed in the sport (for example, the way athletes salute judge).

• Gymnastics as a historical Olympic sport

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics is one of the few disciplines that have always been part of the Olympic program from 1896 to the modern era. The first gymnastic competition was at Athens in 1896; it gathered 18 gymnasts from 5 different countries. Free exercises on apparatus were presented such as horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, vault table, athletics, wrestling…

Remark: at this time, there only were gold and silver medal. German people won many of it.

Every evolution in the discipline occurred during Olympic Games.
– the number of apparatus
– the number of gymnast in a team
– the quality of the exercise.

From 1896 to 1948 this sport had known a great evolution and had spread in the whole world. Trials were most of the time outdoor and without a huge rigor. Indeed, it was not uncommon that federation took their own pommel horse to go in competition.

In 1936 the apparatus competition for men was composed by a free exercise (that is the forefather of the floor exercise), by the pommel horse, the parallel bars, the horizontal bar, the rings and the vault table.

It is during the 1952 OG that gymnastic has become what she still is today. No more tug-of-war, team exercise at bars…

• A sport for women

It is only at the end of the nineteen century that women started this discipline. Remember that the word “gymnastic” comes from “gumnos” which means “naked”: Women were not allowed to practice because of this nakedness. Women’s gymnastics began in Switzerland in 1860. The first competition occurred few years later, in 1894 in Germany. Concerning France, the first club exclusively composed of women was in 1910 (“Société feminine de Gymnastique de Lyon”).

Women gymnastic had to wait until 1928 to be part of the Olympic Games. 5 countries participated. Gymnasts wore little skirts and did team floor exercises and team apparatus exercises but the level was far away from those of men. Since 1928 many things changed: apparatus, uniform, program, number of athletes… What are these changes that transformed the discipline?

– From 1908 to 1912 women presented team exercises (they were really numerous to compose a team).
– During the first World Championship of Women’s gymnastics in 1936, the apparatus were team floor exercise, balance beam, parallel bars and vault table. They were also 3 athletics trials. The Hungarian Gabi Mesjaros did an exploit: a split on the balance beam.
– During the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, women performed individually the forefather of the uneven bars, the balance beam and the vault.
– In 1938 parallel bars disappeared in favour of the uneven bars.
– In 1948 the Olympic Games competition took place for the first time indoor. Moreover the dimension of the balance beam and the floor changed for those we know today (10cm for the BB and 10×10 for the floor). Gymnasts wore leotards with a bell at the waist.
– During the 1952 Olympic Games, the competition was composed by individual exercises on the four apparatus we have today. Athletics trials disappeared during the World Championship of 1954.
– It is in 1956 that each team have been represented by six gymnasts for 5 marks.
– Gymnasts had music during their floor exercise in 1958 (World Championship). Music was played by a pianist.
– During the Olympic Games of 1960 the difficulty had obviously increased because the material was much better.
– During the European cup of 1967 the Czech Vera Caslavska had the first 10 of the gymnastic history (at the balance beam and at the floor).

One gymnast is particularly famous: Nadia Comaneci. She was barely 15 when she had 10/10 during the Olympic Games of Montreal in 1967. It is during her generation that gymnastic has started to be a real show for the public.

• Artistic Gymnastics nowadays

Nowadays gymnastic is one of the most famous sports of the Olympic program. Practiced in the entire world, gymnastic necessitates strength, flexibility, balance, expression… It is well-liked especially during Olympic Games.

At world scale Artistic Gymnastics are managed since 1881 by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). FIG counts more than 130 attached federations and 4 associated federation. Artistic gymnastic still is the “Queen” of the sports managed by the FIG which are Rhythmic gymnastics, Trampoline, Tumbling, Acrobatic gymnastic and Aerobic.