It is not certain how, or when gymnastics
began. Perhaps the first gymnast was an early human, skilled at swinging from tree branch to tree
branch. Old stone cuttings show that the ancient Egyptians enjoyed building human pyramids, and
performing acrobatic activities, around 3000 B.C. About a thousand years later, the Chinese developed
a version of gymnastics they called Cong Fu.
In the second century BC, men and women of Minoan Crete developed the art of
bull leaping. In bull leaping the performer would run toward a charging bull, grab its horns, and,
upon being tossed into the air, execute various midair stunts before landing on the bull's back, then
dismount with a flip.
In the times of the ancient Romans and Greeks, gymnastics has been used to
facilitate body development through exercise. The word "Gymnastics" derives from the Greek word
"gymnazein" which translated means "exercise naked". In ancient Greece, three distinct programs of
gymnastic exercise were developed: one for the maintenance of good physical condition, another for
military training, and a third as part of a conditioning regimen for athletes.
The early Greek teachers of physical fitness were the first to design systems
of physical activity for both athletes and for the general citizenry. Such programs, which included
gymnastics, were considered central to the formal education of children. The Greeks believed that the
unity of mind and body could only be realized through participation in physical exercises. Gymnastics
was included in early Olympic games around this time.
Gymnastic systems designed to give strength for military combat were used
extensively by the Romans. Christians of the time considered gymnastics Satanic because of its focus
on the body. After financial corruption led to the banning of gymnastics in 393 A.D., the sport did
not reappear in the public arena until the 16th century. "Artistic" gymnastics came to be in the early
1800s, distinguishing free-flowing styles from the techniques used by the military.
In the early 1800s a form of gymnastics developed in Germany as a defined set
of skills performed both with and without specific kinds of apparatus. The educator Friedrich Ludwig
Jahn, known as the father of gymnastics, planned exercises using pieces of stationary apparatus to
develop self-discipline and physical strength. The Swedish system, devised by the gymnast Pehr Henrik
Ling, emphasized, on the other hand, rhythm and coordination through routines practiced with hoops,
clubs, and small balls.
German and Swedish immigrants to the United States in the 19th century brought
their commitment to gymnastics with them. The Germans set up gymnastics clubs, or turnvereins, where
families could participate together. A compromise between the German and Swedish system was introduced
into school physical education programs in the U.S. by the end of the century. European gymnastics did
not, however, generally appeal to American children; the mainly English cultural heritage had created
an atmosphere in which games were preferred to the rote patterns of exercise. In fact, gymnastics did
not achieve popularity in the U.S. until recently.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) was formed in 1881, then called
the Bureau of the European Gymnastics Federation, opening the way for international competition. In the
United States, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) assumed control of gymnastics, along with most other
amateur sports, in 1883. Prior to this time gymnastics championships were held by various clubs and
organizations.
The first large-scale competition was the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
There Germany have been the dominant team by almost sweeping every medal. Five countries have
participated in this event. Men's competitions included horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse,
rings, and vault.
The first international event following 1896 Olympics was held in 1903 in
Antwerp, Belgium. There competed gymnasts from such places as Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands. This event is now considered the first World Championship. The first men's team competition
was added and held in 1904 Olympics at St. Louis.
By ninth World Championship in 1930 at Luxembourg, the gymnastic competition
included track and field events such as pole vault, broad jump, shot put, rope climb, and 100-meter dash.
Following that, track and field events started to disappear from gymnastics events, such as World
Championships. They fully disappeared from the sport of gymnastics by 1954 World Championships.
At the 1924 Games in Paris, the basis of modern Olympic gymnastics competition
was firmly established. The athletes (men) began to compete for individual Olympic titles on each
apparatus, as well as in combined individual and team exercises. The first women's gymnastic team
debuted during the 1928 Olympics. The first women's event during 1928 Olympics was the team combined
exercise, where it was dominated by Netherlands. The first U.S. women's gymnastic team competed in the
1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.
In 1962, rhythmic gymnastics were recognized as a sport by the International
Gymnastics Federation (FIG). In 1963 in Budapest, Hungary, the first Rhythmic World Championship took
place. It included 28 athletes from 10 countries. In 1973, the United States joined the sport of
rhythmic gymnastics during the Rhythmic World Championships. During the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles,
the rhythmic individual all-around competition was held for the first time. At the Centennial Olympics
in Atlanta rhythmic group event will be a medal-sport for the first time.
In the U.S. competitive gymnastics has become popular as a women's sport.
Current fashion in judging women's gymnastics favors the flexible, acrobatic movements best performed
by young girls; as a result, the age of competitors has lowered appreciably in recent years. |
