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Gymnastics is an event in the Olympics that involves physical strength, power, agility, flexibility, grace, control, coordination, and balance. The word gymnastics comes from the Greek word gymnons which means naked, but it generally means to train and exercise.

rhythmic gymnastics is predominently for female competitors

Competitive artistic gymnastics is the most popular gymnastic events. Most of the gymnastics events involve women’s events like the uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. There are also men’s events like the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and the high bar.

Other types of gymnastics are rhythmic gymnastics, aesthetic group gymnastics, trampolining and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics, and aerobic gymnastics. Some of the former gymnastic events include: rope, rope climb, and flying rings.

This sport can be joined by children up to adults. In gymnastic competitions, all participants begin with the same scores. Deductions are made when they fail to execute a move. Gymnastics is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique.

Gymnastics Disciplines and Events

• Rhythmic Gymnastics — uses the elements of ballet, gymnastics, dance, and apparatus manipulation.
• Artistic Gymnastics — an Olympic sport where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, such as the Vault, Floor (men and women), Pommel Horse, Rings, Parallel Bars, High Bar (men), and Uneven Bars, Balance Beam (women).
• Tumbling — a gymnastics event involving tumbling along a mat performing flips, rolls, jumps, performing somersaults and handsprings.
• Aesthetic Group Gymnastics — a team sport where a large group of gymnasts perform coordinated continuous movements.
• Acrobatic Gymnastics — team of gymnasts work together to perform acrobatic moves in combination with dance moves.
• Trampolining — competitors perform acrobatics while jumping on a trampoline.
• Wheel Gymnastics (Rhönrad) — athletes perform acrobatic and gymnastic routines inside and on a large rotating wheel called a Rhönrad.
• Sport Aerobics — the objective is to perform high-intensity gymnastic moves in sync with background music. Also called Aerobic Gymnastics.
• Calisthenics — a competitive team sport in which athletes perform elements of rhythmic gymnastics and ballet.
• Baton Twirling — a metal rod called a baton, is manipulated, while simultaneously making coordinated dance moves
• Equestrian Vaulting — a gymnastics and dance discipline performed on horseback.
• Mallakhamba — a traditional Indian sport, where athletes perform various types of gymnastics moves and hold various poses on a vertical wooden pole or a rope.

Related Pages

• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports — a list of every sport from around the world.
• Gymnastics at the Olympics

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