Gymnastics History

1.2. Gymnastics: A Historical Overview

Gymnastics as a sport has been around for over two thousand years now. Gymnastics can trace its roots all the way back to the ancient Greeks, and has been included in the Olympics since the first modern Games in 1896. The earliest Olympic competitions most closely align with today's men's artistic gymnastics (MAG); indeed, at the time, all participants were male, and competed on events like parallel bars and high bar, though the rope climb was an event then (and is no longer one) [Russell, 2013].

The Ancient Greeks practiced gymnastics as a way to prepare for war. Activities like running and jumping, along with throwing a discus and wrestling were used to prepare the young Greek men. Boxing was also used

These included wrestling and vaulting over bulls, according to illustrations seen on ancient clay pots. In fact, the term gymnastics is derived from the ancient Greek word gumnos which literally translates to naked. Many basic gymnastic events were practiced in some form before the introduction by the Greeks of gymnazein, which literally translates to exercise naked.

Physical fitness was a highly valued attribute at the time, and both men and women participated in vigorous gymnastic exercises. The Romans, after conquering Greece, turned these activities into a more formal sport, and used the gymnasiums to physically prepare their legions for warfare. With the decline of Rome, however, interest in gymnastics dwindled, with tumbling remaining as a form of

By the end of the nineteenth century, men’s gymnastics was popular enough to be included in the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. Indeed, gymnastics appeared in the program of the first Olympic Games of our era during this year, revitalized by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and included events such as rope-climbing and club-swinging. Seven years later, in 1903, the FIG organized its first world championships for men exclusively