Gymnastics is a sport made up of various events in which athletes run, jump, tumble, somersault and balance using equipment such as bars, beams, rings and vaults. Its origins are in the military training of the ancient world. Today, three groups of gymnastic events are included in the Olympic Games: artistic, rhythmic and the trampoline.

History

The word "gymnastics" comes from the Greek meaning "exercise naked". Gymnastics events such as running with weights, climbing ropes and jumping hurdles were part of the ancient Greek Olympic Games. For centuries, armies practised similar skills to train soldiers for the battlefield. Gymnastic display of strength and agility gradually became a sport, and it was included in the first modern Olympics of 1896, with women’s events being added in 1928.

Artistic gymnastics

Both men and women perform the floor exercise and the vault. Men also work on rings, pommel horse, parallel bars and the horizontal bar, while women perform routines on the asymmetrical (or uneven) bars and the balance beam. All these events except the floor exercise must finish with the gymnast landing in a standing position. The athletes often rub chalk on their hands to get better grip on some of the apparatus.

Vault, pommel horse and rings

The vault is a padded table 1.2 metres (about 4 feet) high. Gymnasts run to launch themselves off a springboard. They push up with their hands from the vault, performing twists, somersaults or flips as they fly through the air. The pommel horse is a padded box on legs with two curved handles on top—the pommels. Gymnasts support themselves on the pommels and perform leg swings and crosses, and whole body turns and twists in a test of upper-body strength and overall agility. The rings are two small hoops tied to straps to hang 2.75 metres (9 feet) above the floor. Gymnasts hold the rings and perform their routine of swings and holds in mid-air. A routine must include at least one movement where they hold themselves motionless.

Floor exercise

This takes place on a 12-metre (40-foot) square padded mat that gives the gymnasts extra bounce and a soft landing. The men perform sequences including tumbles, leaps and handstands among other acrobatic moves. The women’s routines are accompanied by music and include elements of dance to show grace as well as strength.
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Women’s beam
and bars

The beam is 5 metres (16.5 feet) long, 10 centimetres (4 inches) wide and set 1.25 metres (4 feet) above the floor. The gymnast jumps, turns, flips and balances while moving to and fro along it in a routine lasting up to 90 seconds. The asymmetrical (or uneven) bars are positioned about 1 metre (3.3 feet) apart with one about 80 centimetres (2.6 feet) higher. Gymnasts swing back and forth between each bar.