Gymnastics is one of the world’s oldest and most popular sports. It is a sport that amazes many people.
Gymnastics’ beauty comes from the concept of combining extraordinary physical abilities with elegance and artistry.
So, let’s open the vault and look at some flippin’ fun facts about gymnastics.
Gymnastics History Facts
1. When did gymnastics start?
(gymnasticshq, rookieroad)
Gymnastics, as it is today, differs greatly from how it began. Gymnastics is derived from the Greek words “gymnos” and “gymnazo,” which mean “to train, to exercise naked.” The main purpose of gymnastics in Ancient Greece was to prepare young men for war.
2. Federation of international gymnastics counts 156 national member federations.
(gymnastics)
The International Gymnastics Federation is the world’s governing body for gymnastics. It is the oldest international federation of an Olympic sport, since 1896. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, the Olympic Capital (SUI).
3. Female Olympic competitors must be at least 16 years old.
(nbc sports)
This rule has been in effect at FIG since 2000. So, when the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until 2021, the FIG faced a choice between keeping the Olympic field in 2020 terms or allowing those turning 16 in 2021 to compete. It chose the latter in April, which caused controversy in one of the top solo spots in the world.
4. Lori Fung from Canada is the first Rhythmic Olympic gold medalist.
(gymnastics) (gymnastics)
Rhythmic Gymnastics debuted as a separate discipline at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the Group event was added to the program.
5. Male Artistic gymnastics made its Olympic debut at the 1896 Olympic Games.
(Master Class)
A women’s competition was added in 1928. Floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars, parallel bars, vault, rings, and pommel horse are all part of artistic gymnastics.
Gymnastics Facts For Kids
6. Is there an age limit for Olympic gymnastics?
(Telegraph)
Former Olympian Lisa Mason has suggested that gymnastics should raise the minimum age requirements for female participants.
\Men must be 18 years old to compete at senior level in worldwide artistic gymnastics, but women only need to be 16.
7. Gymnasts compete barefoot or in extremely thin, soft slippers.
(dkfindout)
They must also wear a costume that allows their bodies to move freely. Members of the same team must wear identical costumes for team events.
8. Leotard is a favourite attire among female gymnasts.
(fistosports)
From the baggy and unflattering garments worn by female gymnasts in the 1930s and 1940s, leotards have evolved over the years. It is named after Jules Leotard, a French acrobat and trapeze artist who popularised it while performing with the Cirque Napoleon.
9. Hip and shoulder flexibility are critical for gymnasts.
(mkspringers)
Gymnasts are also judged in competitions based on their ability to perform a stunt.
Gymnastics is a sport that emphasises strength, agility, balance and flexibility. In the absence of these abilities, a gymnast will be unable to perform the stunts with the full range of motion required.
10. Gymnasts use chalk to absorb the moisture, and avoid injuries.
(radiotimes)
Gymnasts use chalk powder on their hands, feet, and legs to perform a smooth spin whilst also protecting themselves from friction injuries.
11. In artistic gymnastics, there are eight different events.
(rookieroad)
Artistic gymnastics include the following disciplines: Uneven Bars, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar, Rings, Pommel Horse, Floor exercise, Balance Beam and Vault
12. Gymnasts are not permitted to talk during their routines.
(rg.shoes)
Gymnasts may not talk with one another during a routine. This is one of the rhythmic gymnastics rules that, if broken, can cause a penalty. The same applies for communicating with the coach.
13. The routine must end at the same time as the music.
(rg.shoes)
The routine cannot be any shorter or any longer than what is acceptable. Regulations must be followed regarding dress and music.
Interesting Facts About Gymnastics
14. How many gymnasts are on the Olympic team?
(Washington Post)
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee reduced the size of Olympic gymnastics teams from five to four members, with their then-president, Bruno Grandi, having considerable power over the sport’s management and a two-fold goal.
15. How many gymnasts compete in the all-around?
(Sporting News)
In total, 24 gymnasts compete for the all-around crown, and eight gymnasts will do so in each of the four events’ finals. The top finishers from the qualification round proceed to the event finals.
16. How much do Gymnasts make?
(Complete Gymnastics)
The government may often give recognition to gymnasts who win the ultimate prize, an Olympic medal. Every country gives different prizes for every medal and gymnast earnes. For example, the prize money for a gold medal in Singapore is $1,000,000, while in the US is $25,000.
However, in the UK there is not any prize money for winning a medal but the government pays them training salaries that can go from $55,000-$85,000.
17. How many levels are there in gymnastics?
(Bestopbook)
In the United States, gymnastics has ten levels. Each level has its own set of regulations and norms. Gymnastics categories are classified differently in the United States than they are in other countries.
18. Modern gymnastics was introduced by Friedrich Ludwig in the 1800s.
(sportycious)
Friedrich Ludwig from Germany is a popular figure in the world of gymnastics, well known as the father of Modern Gymnastics. He developed the High Bar, Parallel Bars, Side Bars, Rings and Balance Beams in the 1800s. All of this became standard equipment for gymnastics.
Ludwig started the Turner movement in Germany and opened a school for gymnastics in Berlin in 1811.
19. Gymnastics made its debut as an Olympic Sport in 1896.
(sportycious)
Gymnastics presented only five teams. Among those teams, Germany won most of the medals at various gymnastic events.
20. The first non-Olympic Gymnastic competition was organised in 1903.
(sportycious)
The first non-Olympic gymnastics competition was held in Antwerp, Belgium, and it later transformed into the World Gymnastics Championship.
21. George Eyser has won 6 Olympic medals despite using a wooden leg.
(sportycious)
George Eyser of the United States is regarded as the most remarkable gymnast in history, having won them with a wooden leg at the 1904 Olympics.
22. Young gymnasts practice more than 20 hours per week.
(firstrowsports)
Anyone who aspires to be a world-class gymnast must practice between 20 and 30 hours per week.
23. The most successful gymnasts started out when they were just 2 years old.
(firstrowsports)
A potential world-class gymnast must show great talent and outstanding physical abilities by the age of 10.
Olympic Gymnastic Facts
24. Trampoline became an Olympic sport in the summer of 2000 in Sydney.
(usagym)
The first Trampoline World Championships were held in 1964, and trampoline was recognised as a separate sport in the United States in 1967. Trampoline and tumbling joined USA Gymnastics in 1999 before making their Olympic debut at the Summer Olympics.
25. Who has the highest Olympic gymnastics score?
(olympics)
During the 1976 Olympic Games, the 14-year-old Romanian became the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of ten for her performance on the uneven bars. She scored a perfect 10.0 six more times, becoming the youngest all-around Olympic gold medallist in history.
26. Until 1994, the World Gymnastic Championships were held only in Europe.
(sportycious)
After being held in Europe for 100 years in a row, the World Gymnastic Championships were held in Australia in 1994.
Gymnastics Statistics UK
27. 110,200 athletes from UK participated in gymnastics and trampolining in 2021.
(statista)
The number of participants in gymnastics and trampolining in England has been declining since 2017, when it reached 315,200.
28. Gymnastics funding for the Tokyo Olympics totalled £13,408,688.
(uk sport)
Still, the highest amount was awarded for the Rio Olympics and it totalled £14,615,428.
29. British Gymnastics has won 15 Olympic medals.
(british-gymnastics)
To date, Britain has won 15 medals, including two gold, four silver, and nine bronze medals from six Olympic Games, seven of which were won in Rio in 2016 at a single Games.
30. Max Whitlock MBE is the UK’s first Olympic champion to win a gold medal.
(Team England)
Whitlock rose to prominence after winning bronze in pommel horse at the 2012 Summer Olympics and gold in both floor and pommel at the 2016 Rio Olympics. By the age of 27, he became a five-time Olympic medallist and a six-time world medallist.
Us Gymnastics Participation Statistics
31. 92,575 gymnasts participate in programs from USA Gymnastics.
(livestrong)
Gymnasts can participate and/or compete for the USA Gymnastics (the national governing body of gymnastics). Of the competing participants, 5,472 athletes compete in trampoline and tumbling, 1,178 in rhythmic gymnastics, and 995 in acrobatics.
32. The 2021 Summer Olympics drew over 13 million viewers in the US.
(latimes)
NBC tops with an average of 13.44 million viewers for prime-time programming that was entirely dedicated to the Summer Olympics.
This is despite the fact that, due to the 13-hour time difference between Tokyo and the US’ east coast, coverage of the Tokyo Olympics dropped 52.4% in the first week compared to the same period for the 2016 Rio Games.
33. Bart Conner is the author of the most famous gymnast biography in the US.
(pantheon)
According to historical popularity index, a metric that aggregates data on a biography’s online popularity, the following are the most famous biographers in gymnastics from the US:
- Bart Conner with an HPI of 55.04
- Simone Biles with an HPI of 53.49
- Mary Lou Retton with an HPI of 49.61
- Gabby Douglas with an HPI of 45.16
- McKayla Maroney with an HPI of 42.83
Gymnastics Demographics
34. Gymnastics was practised by nearly a quarter of children aged 11 to 15 in 2018.
(statista)
This figure reached 19.8 per cent among 5 to 10-year-olds who took part in gym, gymnastics, trampolining, or climbing frame at least twice in the four weeks.
35. Gymnastics was more than 80% popular at the end of 2021.
(YouGov)
Gymnastics was slightly more popular with men (84%) than it was with women (81%) among all respondents.
Gymnastics Injury Statistics
36. Around 100,000 gymnasts are injured every year.
(upmc)
Unfortunately, gymnastics has one of the highest injury rates. Wrist fractures, finger and hand injuries, ankle sprains, ligament tears, and other common gymnastics injuries are all common.
37. Kerri Strug overcame injury to win gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
(Sportbible)
Strug tore the tendons in her ankle on her first attempt during the last day of competition. She stood on her feet and somehow stuck her second attempt, landing on her one good ankle, enabling Team USA to win gold.
38. Samir Ait Said suffered a leg injury during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
(Sportbible)
The French gymnast fractured his tibia on the landing of his vault attempt during the qualifying round. It was a serious injury made even more distressing because it was Said’s Olympic debut.
39. Strength and mental training can help prevent gymnastics injuries.
(upmc)
Other methods include exercising for a strong core to provide a stable base for the arms and legs, as well as stretching several times per day and holding each stretch for 30 seconds to improve flexibility.
Conclusion
Gymnastics began as a way to train for war and has since evolved into one of the most popular Summer Olympics sports. Fans nowadays get to enjoy great floor music, close competition, and high-flying gymnastics.
And I believe these fun facts about gymnastics demonstrated how and why this sport has remained popular for centuries.
Sources:
- gymnasticshq
- rookieroad
- Bestopbook
- gymnastics
- nbc sports
- gymnastics
- gymnastics
- Complete Gymnastics
- Master Class
- dkfindout
- fistosports
- mkspringers
- radiotimes
- rookieroad
- rg.shoes
- sportycious
- firstrowsports
- usagym
- olympics
- statista
- uk sport
- british-gymnastics
- Team England
- livestrong
- latimes
- pantheon
- statists
- Sporting News
- YouGov
- Telegraph
- upmc
- Sportbible
- Washington Post