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The History And Origin Of Gymnastics

By Joshua Nelson


Gymnastic exercises require a high level of control, flexibility, balance, and strength to be performed. The global regulation and standardization of the sport is done by an international regulatory body called FIG. Other smaller regulatory bodies in individual countries are often affiliated to FIG. The need for the existence of FIG is to regulate events in international competitions which are held yearly in different countries in the world. Olympic Games involve a lot of competitions and gymnastics is among the best sports included.

The Greek language is the source of the term gymnastic. The corresponding Greek word means naked when translated into English. The word could also mean dancing naked in Greek. Ancient gymnasts practiced naked, hence the origin of the name. The term first appeared and started to be used in the 1570s. It has grown in use and prevalence worldwide since its coining.

Ancient Greece is the origin of gymnastic. It was originally invented for military training. When getting ready for battle, soldiers could train in various gymnastic exercises. It was believed that soldiers gained better skills and knowledge necessary for fighting from these exercises. This practice was later dropped when militaries modernized although some aspects may still be identified in some forms of military training.

The birth of modern gymnastic took place in the state of Germany by the work of three pioneers. This happened following the creation of exercises for boys and young men to be performed on apparatus designed by the pioneers. These exercises were later to lead to the gymnastic industry as it is known today. Educative gymnastic in France was introduced by Don Franscisco Ondeano. Today, international competitions include the use of high bars, parallel bars, and rings, a phenomenon that was promoted a lot by one of the German pioneers named Jahn.

Liege is where FIG got established in 1881. Men events were first introduced in Olympics in 1896 following its popularity. Significant changes were made in the events gymnasts competed in from 1896 through to the 1950s. The changes happened at international as well as national levels.

Most modern audiences would find events that were considered normal back then to be very strange. Participants participated in many events including running, high jumping, rope climbing, floor calisthenics, and horizontal ladder. Participation of women in gymnastic events began in the 1920s. The initial events were filled with primitivity. The events only encompassed track and field activities and synchronized calisthenics. This Olympic Games took place in Amsterdam in 1928.

By 1954, female and male Olympic apparatus and events had already undergone standardization. Formats and grading structures had already been agreed upon on a global scale. Around that time, the spectacle performance of Soviet gymnasts took the world by surprise and set a precedent that continues to date. The television played a major role in initiating and publicizing the modern age in this field.

Today, the perfection and quality of both female and male events is very high. Many people in the world find the sport interesting and all continents have some of the best gymnasts the world has ever seen. Since competitive gymnastic began, the system for scoring has never changed until in 2006 when a new one came into use.




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