Gymnastics is one of the most popular sports of the Summer Olympics. Every four years, spectators watch as young men and women test their strength, flexibility, balance and artistry. Today's gymnastics barely resembles its ancient Greek origins. Throughout the years, gymnastics has gone from sport to military training to entertainment and back to sport.
Origins
The Greeks are credited with originating gymnastics, and the word "gymnastics" comes from the Greek "gumnos," meaning naked. Performed at the ancient Olympic games, gymnastics were performed without clothing and involved wrestling and vaulting over bulls. However, historians note that the Chinese had a form of gymnastics involving martial arts and aerobatics called "wushu" 2,000 years before the ancient Olympics, and 7,000-year-old Egyptian art also depicts acrobats.
Roman Empire to the 19th Century
The Romans used gymnastics to train their military forces. In medieval times, gymnastics were performed by acrobats as a form of entertainment in minstrel shows. It wasn't until the 19th century that gymnastics began its evolution into what it is today. Johann Friedrich GutsMuths of Germany is credited with developing modern gymnastics through a program designed to improve balance and strength. From Germany, gymnastics as an exercise and training program spread to Denmark and Sweden, then continued to spread through Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries, primarily as a form of military training. Gymnastics appeared in the first modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and included routines on the high bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings and vault, and rope climbing. The Germans won the majority of the medals.
Modern Gymnastics
Gymnastics continued to change and evolve over the years. Women participated in gymnastics in 1908 and 1912, but didn't compete in the Olympics until 1928. At that time, gymnastics included a variety of apparatus and props such as clubs and climbing ropes. In 1952, women were allowed to compete individually instead of only as a team. Popularity for the sport grew during the 1972 games thanks to Olga Korbut, who won the hearts of the world with her grace and charm. She also was the first to do a back tuck on the balance beam. In 1976, Nadia Comaneci further popularized the sport by earning six perfect scores. In 1984, the United States produced two successful gymnasts, Bart Connor, the only American male gymnast to win gold medals at every level of national and international competition, and Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win gold in gymnastics at the Olympics.
New Evolution
Until the 1950s, gymnastics often utilized a variety of props such as clubs and ropes, and while these props were phased out of the Olympics, they still had a place gymnastics. In 1984, they were reintroduced in rhythmic gymnastics, which utilizes ropes, hoops, balls, clubs and ribbons. In the 2000 games, trampolining was introduced and includes singles and synchronized trampoline routines and tumbling.
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