123-591: Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the Code of Points used to score performances and regulates all aspects of elite international competition. Within individual countries, gymnastics is regulated by national federations such as British Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics . Artistic gymnastics
246-419: A springboard . Harnessing the energy of the spring, the gymnast directs their body hands-first toward the vault. Body position is maintained while "popping" (blocking using only a shoulder movement) the vaulting platform. The gymnast then rotates their body to land standing on the far side of the vault. In advanced gymnastics, multiple twists and somersaults may be added before landing. Successful vaults depend on
369-602: A "low beam" close to the floor. By the 1920s, the beam was raised much higher due to Swedish influence on the sport. Gymnasts perform routines ranging from 70 to 90 seconds long, consisting of leaps, acrobatic skills, turns, and dance elements on a padded spring beam. Apparatus norms set by the FIG specify that the beam must be 125 cm (4 ft) high, 500 cm (16 ft) long, and 10 cm (3.9 in) wide. The event requires balance, flexibility, and strength. Of all gymnastics apparatuses—men's or women's—balance beam has proven
492-431: A 10 m (33 ft) x 10 m (33 ft) floor, with a smaller 7 m (23 ft) x 7 m (23 ft) floor used for younger participants. Routines last 70–90 seconds depending on the age of the participants and the routine category. The World Championships have been held since 1995. The events consist of: On 28 January 2018, parkour, also known as freerunning, was given the go-ahead to begin development as
615-587: A 10.0. During a routine, deductions will be made by the judges for flaws in the form of the technique of a skill. For example, steps on landings or flexed feet can range from .05–.1 off, depending on the severity of the mistake. Male gymnasts also perform on a 12meter x 12meter spring floor. A series of tumbling passes are performed to demonstrate flexibility, strength, and balance. Strength skills include circles, scales, and press handstands. Men's floor routines usually have multiple passes that have to total between 60 and 70 seconds and are performed without music, unlike
738-506: A 32-year ban from participating in international sport due to apartheid . The Unified Team (made up by the former Soviet republics without the Baltic states ) topped the medal table, winning 45 gold and 112 overall medals. Barcelona is the second-largest city in Spain and the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia , and the hometown of then- IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch and
861-573: A 90-second choreographed routine to instrumental music. Their routines include tumbling passes, jumps, dance elements, acrobatic skills, and turns. Elite gymnasts may perform up to four tumbling passes. On the men's side, the gymnasts who have won the most Olympic or World Championship titles on floor are Marian Drăgulescu of Romania, with four (along with Roland Brückner , if the Alternate Olympics are included). Ihor Korobchynskyi , Vitaly Scherbo , and Kenzō Shirai have three titles each. On
984-498: A FIG sport. The FIG was planning to run World Cup competitions from 2018 onwards. The first Parkour World Championships were planned for 2020, but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and instead took place from 15 to 16 October 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. The events consist of: Para-gymnastics, gymnastics for disabled athletes with para-athletics classifications , was recognized as
1107-514: A bid for the games, but withdrew in March 1986. With 85 out of 89 members of the IOC voting by secret ballot, Barcelona won a majority of 47 votes. Samaranch abstained from voting. In the same IOC meeting, Albertville, France, won the right to host the 1992 Winter Games . Paris and Brisbane would eventually be selected to host the 2024 and 2032 Summer Olympics respectively. Barcelona had previously bid for
1230-428: A carpeted 12m × 12m square, usually consisting of hard foam over a layer of plywood , which is supported by springs generally called a spring floor. This provides a firm surface that provides extra bounce or spring when compressed, allowing gymnasts to achieve greater height and a softer landing after the composed skill. Gymnasts perform a choreographed routine for up to 90 seconds in the floor exercise event. Depending on
1353-403: A circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on preference). To make the exercise more challenging, gymnasts will often include variations on typical circling skills by turning ("moores" and "spindles") or by straddling their legs ( "flares" ). Routines end when the gymnast performs a dismount by swinging his body over the horse or landing after a handstand. The gymnasts who have won
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#17330930118861476-569: A different number of tumbling passes. In level 7 in the United States, a gymnast is required to do 2–3, and in levels 8–10, at least 3–4 tumbling passes are required. Scoring for both Junior Olympic and NCAA level gymnastics uses a 10.0 scale. Levels below Level 9 start from a 10.0 automatically if all requirements for an event are met. Levels 9 and 10, and NCAA gymnastics all start below a 10.0 and require gymnastics to acquire bonus points through connections and skills to increase their start value to
1599-469: A few decades. For male gymnasts, the Olympic order is: For female gymnasts, the Olympic order is: The vault is both an event and the primary equipment used in that event. Unlike most gymnastic events employing apparatuses, the vault is standard in men's and women's competitions, with little difference. A gymnast sprints down a runway, which is a maximum of 25 m (82 ft) in length, before leaping onto
1722-636: A final (combined) routine. Currently, acrobatic gymnastics scores are marked out of 30.00 for juniors, and they can be higher at the Senior FIG level based on difficulty: There are five competitive event categories: The World Championships have been held since 1974. Aerobic gymnastics (formally sport aerobics) involves the performance of routines by individuals, pairs, trios, groups with 5 people, and aerobic dance and aerobic step (8 people). Strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness rather than acrobatic or balance skills are emphasized. Seniors perform routines on
1845-478: A firm surface that will respond with force when compressed, allowing gymnasts to achieve extra height and a softer landing than possible on a regular floor. Men perform without music for 60 to 70 seconds and must touch each floor corner at least once during their routine. Their routines include tumbling passes demonstrating flexibility, strength, balance, and power. They must also show non-acrobatic skills, including circles, scales, and press handstands. Women perform
1968-406: A grip on the bar, and to prevent rips. While training for this event, straps are often used to ensure that the gymnast does not fall off the bar as they are learning new skills. As with women, male gymnasts are also judged on all of their events including their execution, degree of difficulty , and overall presentation skills. According to FIG rules, only women compete in rhythmic gymnastics. This
2091-478: A horse, and from circus performance skills. The most common form of competitive gymnastics is artistic gymnastics (AG); for women, the events include floor , vault , uneven bars , and balance beam ; for men, besides floor and vault, it includes rings , pommel horse , parallel bars , and horizontal bar . The governing body for competition in gymnastics throughout the world is the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). Eight sports are governed by
2214-420: A larger blocking surface. This apparatus is thus considered safer than the vaulting horse used in the past. With the addition of this new, safer vaulting table, gymnasts are attempting more difficult vaults. On the uneven bars, gymnasts perform a timed routine on two parallel horizontal bars set at different heights. These bars are made of fiberglass covered in wood laminate , to prevent them from breaking. In
2337-473: A larger blocking surface—and is, therefore, safer than the old vaulting horse. This new, safer apparatus led gymnasts to attempt more difficult vaults. On the men's side, the gymnasts who have won the most Olympic or World Championship titles on vault are Marian Drăgulescu of Romania and Ri Se-gwang of North Korea, with four titles each. Yang Hak-seon , Eugen Mack , Alexei Nemov , Vitaly Scherbo , Li Xiaopeng , and Lou Yun have each won three titles. On
2460-401: A modern age of gymnastics. Both men's and women's gymnastics now attract considerable international interest, and excellent gymnasts can be found on every continent. In 2006, a new points system for Artistic gymnastics was put into play. An A Score (or D score) is the difficulty score, which as of 2009 derives from the eight highest-scoring elements in a routine (excluding Vault), in addition to
2583-551: A modern format, and uniform grading structures (including a point system from 1 to 15) had been agreed upon. In 1930, the first UK mass movement organization of women in gymnastics, the Women's League of Health and Beauty, was founded by Mary Bagot Stack in London. At this time, Soviet gymnasts astounded the world with highly disciplined and difficult performances, setting a precedent that continues. Television has helped publicize and initiate
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#17330930118862706-769: A new FIG discipline in October 2024. As an FIG discipline, it currently only covers artistic gymnastics. 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( Spanish : Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992 , Catalan : Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992 ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( Spanish : Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada , Catalan : Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92 , were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona , Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994,
2829-498: A straight pass (including double and triple somersaults) and a twisting pass (including full twisting whips and combination skills such as a full twisting double straight ’full in back’). In the final of the individual event, the competitor must compete two different runs which can be either twisting or straight but each run normally uses both types (using transition skills). Acrobatic gymnastics (formerly sport acrobatics), often referred to as acro, acrobatic sports or simply sports acro,
2952-641: A team event, women's gymnastics entered the Olympics in 1928 and the World Championships in 1950 . Individual women were recognized in the all-around as early as the 1934 World Championships. The existing women's program—all-around and event finals on the vault , uneven bars , balance beam , and floor exercise —was introduced at the 1950 World Championships and at the 1952 Summer Olympics . The earliest champions in women's gymnastics tended to be in their 20s, and most had studied ballet for years before entering
3075-435: A whip or a flick. Competition is made up of a qualifying round and a finals round. There are two different types of competition in tumbling, individual and team. In the team event three gymnasts out of a team of four compete one run each, if one run fails the final member of the team is allowed to compete with the three highest scores being counted. In the individual event qualification, the competitor will compete two runs, one
3198-469: A workforce of 3,083 people, a permanent radio and television installation at the Olympic Stadium and Palau Sant Jordi, and over 50 mobile units for other venues, RTO'92 provided live coverage of all Summer Olympic sports for the first time ever –except for a few preliminary events–, some 2,800 hours of live television footage, to its international rights-holders. The International Broadcast Centre (IBC)
3321-424: Is 4–3–3, meaning that of the four gymnasts on the team, three compete in each event, and all three scores count. In the all-around finals (abbreviated AA), gymnasts compete individually in all four or six events; their totals determine the all-around medals. Only two gymnasts per country may advance to the all-around finals from the qualification round. In the event finals (abbreviated EF) or apparatus finals ,
3444-423: Is 4–4–3, meaning that all four gymnasts compete in each event, but only the top three scores count. Individual gymnasts may qualify for the all-around and event finals, but their scores do not count toward the team's total. In the team finals (abbreviated TF), gymnasts compete with their national squad on all four or six events. The scores from the session determine the medalists in the team competition. The format
3567-416: Is a combination of 8 skills, with an entry skill, normally a round-off, to whips and into an end skill. Usually the end skill is the hardest skill of the pass. At the highest level, gymnasts perform transitional skills. These are skills which are not whips, but are double or triple somersaults (usually competed at the end of the run), but now competed in the middle of the run connected before and after by either
3690-430: Is a commonly performed vault in the higher levels in gymnastics. When performing a Yurchenko, gymnasts round-off so their hands are on the runway while their feet land on the vault board. From the round-off position, the gymnast travels backward so that the hands land on the vaulting table. The gymnast then blocks off the vaulting platform into various twisting and/or somersaulting combinations. The post-flight segment brings
3813-632: Is a group gymnastic discipline for both men and women. Acrobats perform to music in groups of two, three and four. There are four international age categories: 11–16, 12–18, 13–19, and Senior (15+), which are used in the World Championships and many other events around the world, including the European Championships and the World Games . All levels require a balance and dynamic routine; 12–18, 13–19, and Seniors are also required to perform
Artistic gymnastics - Misplaced Pages Continue
3936-562: Is a popular spectator sport at many competitions, including the Summer Olympic Games . The gymnastic system was mentioned in writings by ancient authors, including Homer , Aristotle , and Plato . It included many disciplines that later became independent sports, such as swimming, racing , wrestling , boxing , and horse riding . It was also used for military training. Gymnastics evolved in Bohemia and what later became Germany at
4059-451: Is a sport that combines elements of ballet , gymnastics, dance , and apparatus manipulation, with a much greater emphasis on the aesthetic rather than the acrobatic. Gymnasts compete either as individuals or in groups. Individuals perform four separate routines, each using one of the four apparatuses—ball, ribbon, hoop, clubs, and formerly, rope—on a floor area. Groups consist of five gymnasts who perform two routines together, one with five of
4182-411: Is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance , strength , flexibility , agility , coordination , artistry and endurance . The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting
4305-411: Is allowed to choose where they start on the runway. The body position is maintained while punching (blocking using only a shoulder movement) the vaulting platform. The gymnast then rotates to a standing position. In advanced gymnastics, multiple twists and somersaults may be added before landing. Successful vaults depend on the speed of the run, the length of the hurdle, the power the gymnast generates from
4428-596: Is built. All the venues are still active and the legacy of the 1992 Games was taken as an example for future Olympic events, such as London 2012 . The 1992 Summer Games were the first since the end of the Cold War , and the first unaffected by boycotts since the 1972 Summer Games . 1992 was also the first year South Africa was re-invited to the Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee, after
4551-462: Is optional. Some competitions restart the score from zero for the finals, other add the final score to the preliminary results. Synchronized trampoline is similar except that both competitors must perform the routine together and marks are awarded for synchronization as well as the form and difficulty of the moves. Double mini trampoline involves a smaller trampoline with a run-up, two scoring moves are performed per routine. Moves cannot be repeated in
4674-630: Is performed on a sprung floor, and the gymnasts perform acrobatic moves and flips. The other version was developed in Europe and uses generally the same rules as the women and the same set of apparatus. It is most prominent in Spain, which has held national men's competitions since 2009 and mixed-gender group competitions since 2021, and France. Trampolining and tumbling consists of four events, individual and synchronized trampoline, double mini trampoline, and tumbling (also known as power tumbling or rod floor). Since 2000, individual trampoline has been included in
4797-587: The 1936 Summer Olympics that were ultimately held in Berlin , Germany. The 1992 Summer Olympic programme featured 256 events in the following 25 sports: A total of 169 nations sent athletes to compete in the 1992 Summer Games. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union , twelve of the fifteen new states chose to form a Unified Team , while the Baltic States of Estonia and Latvia sent their own teams for
4920-783: The 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville . The 1992 Summer Olympics notably marked Germany competing as a unified team for the first time since 1964 and the first time since 1936 as a single nation following German reunification . South Africa returned to the Games for the first time in 32 years. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was banned due to UN sanctions, but individual Yugoslav athletes were allowed to take part as Independent Olympic Participants . Four then-existing National Olympic Committees did not send any athletes to compete: Afghanistan , Brunei , Liberia and Somalia . 9,356 athletes from 169 NOCs The following table reflects
5043-501: The 2008 Olympics , the silver medalist on vault, Oksana Chusovitina , was a 33-year-old mother. By the 2016 Olympics , the average age of female gymnasts was over 20, and it was almost 22 at the 2020 Olympics . Both male and female gymnasts are judged for execution, degree of difficulty , and overall presentation. In many competitions, especially high-level ones sanctioned by the FIG, gymnasts compete in " Olympic order ", which has changed over time but has stayed consistent for at least
Artistic gymnastics - Misplaced Pages Continue
5166-620: The Catalonia region as a whole, including the deadly 1991 Vic bombing . On 10 July 1992, the group offered a two-month truce covering the Olympics in exchange for negotiations, which the Spanish government rejected. However, the Games went ahead successfully without an attack. The celebration of the 1992 Olympic Games had an enormous impact on the urban culture and outward projection of Barcelona. The Games provided billions of dollars for infrastructure investments, which are considered to have improved
5289-469: The European Economic Community and a workforce of over 300 production and technical staff. A total of 225 hours and 45 minutes was broadcast in analog HD-MAC standard in 1,250 lines and 16:9 aspect ratio , with commentary in five languages –Spanish, English, French, German and Italian– in addition to the non-commentary sound track, of eighteen different sports at seventeen venues, as well as
5412-670: The International Olympic Committee decided to hold the Summer and Winter Olympics in alternating even-numbered years. The 1992 Summer and Winter Olympics were the last games to be staged in the same year. These games were the second and last two consecutive Olympic games to be held in Western Europe after the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, held five months earlier. The 1992 Games received universal acclaim, with
5535-742: The International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI), the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) and the Union of African National Television and Radio Organizations (URTNA), secured the rights for their member broadcasters in their countries. In other countries, broadcast networks secured the rights directly or pooled to secure
5658-498: The qualification round (abbreviated TQ), gymnasts compete with their national squad in all four (WAG) or six (MAG) events. The scores from this session are not used to award medals but rather to determine which teams advance to the team finals and which individual gymnasts advance to the all-around and event finals. For the 2020 Olympics , teams will consist of four gymnasts, with up to two additional gymnasts per country allowed to compete as individuals. The format of team qualifications
5781-561: The 1920s, women organised and participated in gymnastics events. Elin Falk revolutionised how gymnastic were taught in Swedish schools beteeen 1910 and 1932. The first women's Olympic competition was limited, involving only synchronized calisthenics and track and field. These games were held in 1928 in Amsterdam. By 1954, Olympic Games apparatus and events for both men and women had been standardized in
5904-419: The 70–90 seconds exercise by mounting the beam by either a vault or a jump. The event requires balance, flexibility, grace, poise, and strength. The event in gymnastics performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is FX. In the past, the floor exercise event was executed on the bare floor or mats such as wrestling mats. The floor event now occurs on
6027-483: The Alternate Olympics are included. The parallel bars consist of two bars slightly further than shoulder-width apart and usually 1.75 m (5.7 ft) high. Gymnasts execute a series of swings, balancing moves, and releases that require strength and coordination. The gymnasts who have won the most Olympic and/or World Championship titles on parallel bars are Vladimir Artemov of the Soviet Union (5, including
6150-533: The Alternate Olympics are included. The uneven bars (known as asymmetric bars in the UK) were adapted by the Czechoslovakian Sokol from the men's parallel bars sometime before World War I and were shown in international exhibition for the first time at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. They consist of two horizontal bars set at different heights. Gymnasts perform swings, pirouettes, transition moves between
6273-466: The Alternate Olympics) and Li Xiaopeng and Zou Jingyuan of China (4). Li Jing and Vitaly Scherbo have each won three titles. The horizontal bar (also known as the high bar) is a 2.4 cm (0.94 in) thick steel bar raised 2.5 m (8.2 ft) above the ground. The gymnast performs 'giants' (360-degree revolutions around the bar), release skills, twists, and direction changes. Using
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#17330930118866396-520: The Code of Points and evolving popular opinion in the sport, led to the return of older gymnasts. While there are still gymnasts who are successful as teenagers, it is common to see gymnasts competing and winning medals well into their 20s. At the 2004 Olympics , women captained both the second-place American team and the third-place Russians in their mid-20s; several other teams, including those from Australia, France, and Canada, included older gymnasts as well. At
6519-610: The Code of Points and the gymnast's strengths, compulsory routines were created and choreographed by the FIG Technical Committee. The dance and tumbling skills were generally less demanding than those in optional routines, but perfect technique, form, and execution were heavily emphasized. Scoring was exacting, with judges taking deductions for even slight deviations from the required choreography. For this reason, many gymnasts and coaches considered compulsories more challenging than optionals. Compulsory exercises were eliminated at
6642-508: The FIG, including gymnastics for all, men's and women's artistic gymnastics , rhythmic gymnastics , trampolining (including double mini-trampoline), tumbling , acrobatic , aerobic , and parkour . Disciplines not recognized by FIG include wheel gymnastics , aesthetic group gymnastics , TeamGym , and mallakhamba . Participants in gymnastics-related sports include young children, recreational-level athletes, and competitive athletes at all levels of skill. The word gymnastics derives from
6765-459: The Games. The costs for Barcelona 1992 may be compared with those of London 2012 , which cost US$ 15 billion with a cost overrun of 76%, and those of Rio 2016 which cost US$ 4.6 billion with a cost overrun of 51%. The average cost for the Summer Olympics since 1960 is US$ 5.2 billion, with an average cost overrun of 176%. There were two main musical themes for the 1992 Games. The first one
6888-401: The Olympic Games. The first World Championships were held in 1964. Individual routines in trampolining involve a build-up phase during which the gymnast jumps repeatedly to achieve height, followed by a sequence of ten bounces without pause during which the gymnast performs a sequence of aerial skills. Routines are marked out of a maximum score of 10 points. Additional points (with no maximum at
7011-557: The Olympic Village and Olympic Port in Poblenou . New centers were created, and modern sports facilities were built in the Olympic zones of Montjuïc , Diagonal , and Vall d'Hebron ; hotels were also refurbished and new ones built. The construction of ring roads around the city helped to reduce traffic density, and El Prat airport was modernized and expanded with the opening of two new terminals. The Oxford Olympics Study estimates
7134-516: The Olympics in 1984. There are two versions of rhythmic gymnastics for men, neither of which is currently recognized by the FIG. One was developed in Japan in the 1940s and was originally practiced by both boys and girls for fitness, with women still occasionally participating on the club level today. Gymnasts either perform in groups with no apparatus, or individually with apparatus (stick, clubs, rope, or double rings). Unlike women's rhythmic gymnastics, it
7257-795: The Organisme de radio télévision olympique '92 (ORTO'92) for the Winter Olympics and the Barcelona Organizing Committee created the Ràdio Televisió Olímpica '92 (RTO'92) for the Summer Olympics. RTO'92 managed the staff and the production and technical resources hired to Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), the Corporació Catalana de Ràdio i Televisió (CCRTV) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). With
7380-462: The all-around. The team event is not contested in other meets, such as on the World Cup circuit . Since 1989, competitions have used the "new life" rule, under which scores from one session do not carry over to the next. In other words, a gymnast's performance in team finals does not affect their scores in the all-around finals or event finals, and marks from the team qualifying round do not count toward
7503-410: The apparatus. To make the exercise more challenging, gymnasts will often include variations on a typical circling skill by turning (moores and spindles) or by straddling their legs (flares). Routines end when the gymnast performs a dismount, either by swinging his body over the horse or landing after a handstand variation. The rings are suspended on wire cable from a point 5.75 metres (18.9 ft) from
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#17330930118867626-408: The bars, and releases. Higher-level gymnasts usually wear leather grips to ensure a firm hold on the bars while protecting their hands from painful blisters and tears (known as rips). Gymnasts sometimes wet their grips with water from a spray bottle and may apply chalk to prevent the grips from slipping. Chalk may also be applied to the hands and bar if grips are not worn. The gymnasts who have won
7749-428: The beginning of the 19th century. The term "artistic gymnastics" was introduced to distinguish freestyle performances from those used by the military. The German educator Friedrich Ludwig Jahn , who was known as the father of gymnastics, invented several apparatus, including the horizontal bar and parallel bars . Two of the first gymnastics clubs were Turnvereins and Sokols . The FIG was founded in 1881 and remains
7872-591: The broadcast. For Japan, NHK also covered the 1992 Summer Olympics in HDTV in their own analog Hi-Vision system. The Basque nationalist group ETA attempted to disrupt the Barcelona Games with terrorist attacks. It was already feared beforehand that ETA would use the Olympics to gain publicity for their cause in front of a worldwide audience. As the time of the Games approached, ETA committed attacks in Barcelona and
7995-427: The city at the start of the opening ceremony, seconds before the official countdown. " Amigos Para Siempre " ( Friends for Life ) was the other musical theme and it was official theme song of the 1992 Summer Olympics. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black , and sung by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras during the closing ceremonies. Ryuichi Sakamoto composed and conducted some musical pieces at
8118-625: The common Greek adjective γυμνός ([[[wikt:γυμνός#Ancient|gymnos]]] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch ( help ) ), by way of the related verb γυμνάζω ( gymnazo ), whose meaning is to "train naked", "train in gymnastic exercise", generally "to train, to exercise". The verb had this meaning because athletes in ancient times exercised and competed without clothing. Gymnastics can be traced to exercises performed in Ancient Greece, specifically in Sparta and Athens. Exercise of that time
8241-399: The difficulty of the skills they perform as well as their execution. There is no maximum score for difficulty, as it can keep increasing as the difficulty of the skills increase. In the vaulting events, gymnasts sprint down a 25 metres (82 ft) runway, to take off onto a vault board (or perform a roundoff or handspring entry onto a vault board), to land momentarily inverted on the hands on
8364-469: The direct costs of the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics to be US$ 9.7 billion (expressed in 2015 U.S. dollars) with a cost overrun of 266%. This includes only sports-related costs, that is: (i) operational costs incurred by the organizing committee for the purpose of staging the Games, e.g., expenditures for technology, direct transportation, workforce, administration, security, catering, ceremonies, and medical services; and (ii) direct capital costs incurred by
8487-565: The end of 1996. The move was highly controversial, with many successful gymnastics federations—including the United States, Russia, and China—arguing that the compulsory exercises helped maintain a high standard of form, technique, and execution among gymnasts. Opponents of compulsory exercises believed that they harmed emerging gymnastics programs. Some members of the gymnastics community still argue that compulsories should be reinstated, and many gymnastics federations have maintained compulsories in their national programs. Often, gymnasts competing at
8610-678: The events in Men's Artistic Gymnastics at the 1932 Summer Olympics , and in 1955 and 1959 at the Pan American Games . From 1974 to 1998 it was included as an event for both genders at the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships . The event has also been contested since 1976 at the Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships . Tumbling is competed along a 25-metre sprung tack with a 10-metre run up. A tumbling pass or run
8733-487: The famous European club, FC Barcelona . The city was also a host for the 1982 FIFA World Cup . On 17 October 1986, Barcelona was selected to host the 1992 Summer Olympics over Amsterdam , Netherlands (the city also hosted the 1928 games ); Belgrade , Yugoslavia; Birmingham , United Kingdom; Brisbane , Australia; and Paris , France, during the 91st IOC Session in Lausanne , Switzerland . New Delhi , India, had announced
8856-678: The final score for each routine. International competitions are split between Juniors, under sixteen by their year of birth, and Seniors, for women sixteen and over. Gymnasts in Russia and Europe typically start training at a very young age and those at their peak are typically in their late teens (15–19) or early twenties. The largest events in the sport are the Olympic Games , World Championships , European Championships , World Cup and Grand Prix series . The first World Championships were held in 1963, and rhythmic gymnastics made its first appearance at
8979-684: The first public gymnasium in the US in 1826 at Harvard College and in Boston, Massachusetts, respectively. Neal was the first American to open a public gymnasium in the US, in Portland, Maine, in 1827. He also documented and promoted these early efforts in the American Journal of Education and The Yankee , helping to establish the American branch of the movement. The Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG)
9102-439: The first time since 1936, and Lithuania sent its own team for the first time since 1928. Bosnia-Herzegovina competed for the first time as an independent nation after its separation from Socialist Yugoslavia , and Namibia and the unified team of Yemen (previously North and South Yemen ) also made their Olympic debuts. Croatia and Slovenia made their first Summer Olympic appearance at these games, having participated at
9225-656: The floor and adjusted in height so the gymnast has room to hang freely and swing. Gymnasts must demonstrate balance, strength, power, and dynamic motion while preventing the rings themselves from swinging. At least one static strength move is required, but some gymnasts include two or three. The gymnasts who have won the most Olympic and/or World Championship titles on still rings are Jury Chechi of Italy (6) and Chen Yibing of China (5). Nikolai Andrianov , Albert Azaryan , Alexander Dityatin , Alois Hudec , Akinori Nakayama , Eleftherios Petrounias , and Liu Yang each have at least three such titles, as does Dmitry Bilozerchev if
9348-405: The floor. The gymnasts must perform a routine demonstrating balance, strength, power, and dynamic motion while preventing the rings themselves from swinging. At least one static strength move is required, but some gymnasts may include two or three. A routine ends with a dismount. Gymnasts sprint down a runway, which is a maximum of 25 meters in length, before hurdling onto a springboard. The gymnast
9471-842: The governing body of international gymnastics. The organization began with three countries and was called the European Gymnastics Federation until 1921, when the first non-European countries joined, and it was reorganized into its modern form. Gymnastics was included in the 1896 Summer Olympics , but female gymnasts were not allowed to participate in the Olympics until 1928 . The World Artistic Gymnastics Championships , held since 1903, were only open to men until 1934 . Since then, two branches of artistic gymnastics have developed: women's artistic gymnastics (WAG) and men's artistic gymnastics (MAG). Unlike men's and women's branches of many other sports, WAG and MAG differ significantly in technique and apparatuses used at major competitions. As
9594-469: The gymnast to her feet. Less difficult vaults include taking off from the vault board with both feet at the same time and either doing a front handspring or round-off onto the vaulting table. In 2001, the traditional vaulting horse was replaced with a new apparatus, sometimes known as a tongue, horse, or vaulting table. The new apparatus is more stable, wider, and longer than the older vaulting horse, approximately 1 m in length and 1 m in width, giving gymnasts
9717-419: The highest levels of competition) can be earned depending on the difficulty of the moves and the length of time taken to complete the ten skills which is an indication of the average height of the jumps. In high level competitions, there are two preliminary routines, one which has only two moves scored for difficulty and one where the athlete is free to perform any routine. This is followed by a final routine which
9840-416: The host city and country or private investors to build the competition venues, the Olympic village, international broadcast center, media and press center, and similar structures required to host the Games. Costs excluded from the study are indirect capital and infrastructure costs, such as for road, rail, or airport infrastructure, or for hotel upgrades or other business investment incurred in preparation for
9963-516: The invention of the parallel bars , rings , the high bar , the pommel horse and the vault horse . Germans Charles Beck and Charles Follen and American John Neal brought the first wave of gymnastics to the United States in the 1820s. Beck opened the first gymnasium in the US in 1825 at the Round Hill School in Northampton, Massachusetts. Follen opened the first college gymnasium and
10086-435: The landing area is all the gymnast has to hold onto as he performs giant swings or giants (forward or backward revolutions around the bar in the handstand position), release skills, twists, and changes of direction. By using all of the momentum from giants and then releasing at the proper point, enough height can be achieved for spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back salto. Leather grips are usually used to help maintain
10209-483: The legs and shoulder girdle, the kinesthetic awareness in the air, how well they stuck the landing, and the speed of rotation in the case of more difficult and complex vaults. Men perform on two bars executing a series of swings, balances, and releases that require great strength and coordination. The width between the bars is adjustable depending upon the actual needs of the gymnasts and usually 2 m high. A 2.8 cm thick steel or fiberglass bar raised 2.5 m above
10332-435: The level, the gymnast may choose their own routine; however some levels have compulsory routines, where default music must be played. Levels three to six the music is the same for each levels along with the skills within the routine. However, recently, the levels have switched. Now, levels 6–10 are optional levels and they get to have custom routines made. In the optional levels (levels six to ten) there are skill requirements for
10455-584: The lower levels of the sport—for instance, Levels 2-5 in USA Gymnastics, Grade 2 in South Africa, and Levels 3–6 in Australia—only perform compulsory routines. Artistic gymnasts compete only with other gymnasts at their level. Each athlete starts at the lowest level and advances to higher levels by learning more complex skills and achieving qualifying scores at competitions. Gymnastics Gymnastics
10578-484: The minimum age for senior international competition from 14 to 15. However, the change, which came into effect two years later, did not eliminate the problem. By the time of the 1992 Summer Olympics , elite gymnasts consisted almost exclusively of "pixies" – underweight young teenagers – and concerns were raised about athletes' welfare. In 1997, the FIG responded to this trend by raising the minimum age for international elite competition to 16. This, combined with changes in
10701-490: The momentum from giants, enough height can be achieved for spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back somersault. Leather grips are usually used to help maintain a hold on the bar. The gymnast who has won the most Olympic and World Championship titles on the horizontal bar is Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands, with four titles. Zou Kai , Leon Štukelj , and Takashi Ono have each won three, as has Dmitry Bilozerchev if
10824-423: The most Olympic and/or World Championship titles on pommel horse are Miroslav Cerar of Yugoslavia, Zoltán Magyar of Hungary, and Max Whitlock of Great Britain, with five titles each. Krisztián Berki , Dmitry Bilozerchev , Pae Gil-su , Xiao Qin , Boris Shakhlin , and Marius Urzică , have won at least three titles apiece. The still rings are suspended on wire cable from a point 5.8 m (19 ft) off
10947-405: The most Olympic and/or World Championship titles on uneven bars are Svetlana Khorkina of Russia (7) and Maxi Gnauck of East Germany (5, including the Alternate Olympics). Daniela Silivaș of Romania and Nina Derwael of Belgium have each won three titles. Aliya Mustafina won back-to-back uneven bar Olympic titles in 2012 and 2016. The balance beam existed as early as the 1880s in the form of
11070-479: The most difficult on which to win multiple Olympic and World Championship titles. Simone Biles has four World titles on this event, and there are only two other gymnasts to have won three Championship titles in total for Olympic and Worlds — Nadia Comăneci and Daniela Silivaș of Romania. In Olympic and World Championship competitions, meets are divided into several sessions on different days: qualifications, team finals, all-around finals, and event finals. During
11193-489: The opening and closing ceremonies. Events from five venues were covered live –80% of the total broadcast time– and other events were recorded for a delayed broadcast. On-screen text and graphics were shown in HDTV for the first time ever. Nearly 700 viewing sites installed throughout Europe, including the fifty HDTV receivers installed in various pavilions at the Seville Universal Exposition , were able to receive
11316-440: The opening ceremony musical score. The Opening Olympic fanfare was composed by Angelo Badalamenti and with orchestrations by Joseph Turrin. The official mascot was Cobi, a Catalan sheepdog in cubist style designed by Javier Mariscal . He was widely featured in merchandising products and starred his own animated television series, The Cobi Troupe . A renewal in Barcelona's image and corporate identity could be seen in
11439-419: The organisation, volunteers, sportsmanship, and Spanish public being lauded in the international media. Some media describe the Barcelona games as one of the best Olympics ever. The Games showed a renewed image of democratic Spain and projected Barcelona and the whole Spain to the world. Thanks to the Games, the city of Barcelona was completely transformed; it is thanks to the Olympics that the Barcelona of today
11562-553: The past, bars were made of wood, but the bars were prone to breaking, providing an incentive to switch to newer technologies. The height of the bars may be adjusted by 5 cm to the size needed by individual gymnasts, although the distance between bars cannot be changed for individual gymnasts in elite competition. In the past, the uneven parallel bars were closer together. The bars have been moved increasingly further apart, allowing gymnasts to perform swinging, circling, transitional, and release moves that may pass over, under, and between
11685-594: The points awarded for composition requirements; each vault has a difficulty score assigned by the FIG. The B Score (or E Score), is the score for execution and is given for how well the skills are performed. The following disciplines are governed by FIG. Artistic gymnastics is usually divided into men's and women's gymnastics. Men compete on six events: floor exercise , pommel horse , still rings , vault , parallel bars , and horizontal bar , while women compete on four: vault, uneven bars , balance beam , and floor exercise. In some countries, women at one time competed on
11808-406: The quality of life in the city, and its attraction for investment and tourism. Barcelona became one of the most visited cities in Europe after Paris , London , and Rome . Barcelona's nomination for the 1992 Summer Olympics sparked the implementation of an ambitious plan for urban transformation that had already been developed previously. Barcelona was opened to the sea with the construction of
11931-407: The rights. The Games were covered by the following television and radio broadcasters: The 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics were the first in which a comprehensive coverage in high-definition television (HDTV) was attempted. The European HDTV broadcast of the Summer Olympics was managed by the joint venture "Barcelona 1250" created by RTO'92, RTVE, Retevisión and PESA, with the financial support of
12054-456: The rings, high bar, and parallel bars (for example, in the 1950s in the USSR ). In 2006, FIG introduced a new point system for artistic gymnastics in which scores are no longer limited to 10 points. The system is used in the US for elite level competition. Unlike the old code of points, there are two separate scores, an execution score and a difficulty score. In the previous system, the execution score
12177-404: The routine but the athlete is able to pick her own music without any words. The routine should consist of tumbling passes, series of jumps, leaps, dance elements, acrobatic skills, and turns, or pivots, on one foot. A gymnast can perform up to four tumbling passes, each of which usually includes at least one flight element without hand support. Each level of gymnastics requires the athlete to perform
12300-453: The same apparatus and one with three of one apparatus and two of another; the FIG defines which apparatuses groups use each year. Routines are given three sub-scores: difficulty, execution, and artistry. Difficulty is open-ended and based on the value given to the elements performed in the routine, and execution and artistry start at ten points and are lowered for specific mistakes made by the gymnasts. The three sub-scores are added together for
12423-408: The same order on the double-mini during a competition. Skills can be repeated if a skill is competed as a mounter in one routine and a dismount in another. The scores are marked in a similar manner to individual trampoline. In tumbling , athletes perform an explosive series of flips and twists down a sprung tumbling track. Scoring is similar to trampolining. Tumbling was originally contested as one of
12546-533: The second day. Team medals were determined based on the combined scores of both days, as were the qualifiers to the all-around and event finals. However, the all-around and event finals did not include compulsory routines. In meets where team titles were not contested, such as the American Cup , there were two days of all-around competition: one for compulsories and another for optionals. While each gymnast and their coach developed optional routines in accordance with
12669-403: The skills, or they do not connect a skill meant to be connected to another. Connection bonuses are where deviation happens most commonly between the intended and actual difficulty scores, as it can be difficult to connect multiple flight elements. It is very hard to connect skills if the first skill is not performed correctly. The new code of points allows the gymnasts to gain higher scores based on
12792-478: The skin of the hands); dowel grips help gymnasts grip the bar. The gymnast performs a choreographed routine of up to 90 seconds in length consisting of leaps, acrobatic skills, somersaults, turns and dance elements on a padded beam. The beam is 125 centimetres (4 ft 1 in) from the ground, 5 metres (16 ft 5 in) long, and 10.16 centimetres (4.00 in) wide. This stationary object can also be adjusted, to be raised higher or lower. The gymnast begins
12915-476: The speed of the run, the length of the hurdle, the power the gymnast generates from the legs and shoulder girdle, kinesthetic awareness in the air, and the speed of rotation in the case of more challenging and complex vaults. In 2004, the traditional vaulting horse was replaced with a new apparatus, sometimes known as a tongue or table. It is more stable, wider, and longer than the older vaulting horse—about 1 m (3.3 ft) in length and width, giving gymnasts
13038-421: The sport. Larisa Latynina , the first great Soviet gymnast, won her first Olympic all-around medal at age 22 and her second at 26; she became world champion in 1958 while pregnant. Věra Čáslavská of Czechoslovakia, who followed Latynina and became a two-time Olympic all-around champion, was 22 when she won her first Olympic gold medal. In the 1970s, the average age of Olympic gymnasts began to decrease. While it
13161-414: The team finals. Before this rule was introduced, the scores from the team competition carried over into the all-around and event finals. Final results and medal placement were determined by combining the following scores: Until 1997, the team competition consisted of two sessions, with every gymnast performing standardized compulsory routines in the preliminaries and individualized optional routines on
13284-419: The top eight gymnasts in each event (as determined by scores in the qualification round) compete for medals. Only two gymnasts per country may advance to each event final. Competitions other than the Olympics and World Championships may use different formats. For instance, the 2007 Pan American Games had only one team competition day with a 6–5–4 format, and three athletes per country were allowed to advance to
13407-425: The top ten nations in terms of total medals won at the 1992 Games (the host nation is highlighted). In order to guarantee that the international signal was produced objectively and impartially, for the first time in Olympic history, a host broadcaster was expressly created for each of the 1992 Olympic Games instead of delegating responsibility to a national host broadcaster. The Albertville Organizing Committee created
13530-413: The two bars. At the elite level, movements must pass through the handstand. Gymnasts often mount the uneven bars using a springboard or a small mat. Gymnasts may use chalk (MgCO 3 ) and grips (a leather strip with holes for fingers to protect hands and improve performance) when performing this event. The chalk helps take the moisture out of gymnasts' hands to decrease friction and prevent rips (tears to
13653-403: The vaulting horse or vaulting table (pre-flight segment), then propel themselves forward or backward off that platform to a two-footed landing (post-flight segment). Every gymnast starts at a different point on the vault runway depending on their height and strength. The post-flight segment may include one or more multiple saltos, or twisting movements. A round-off entry vault, called a Yurchenko ,
13776-575: The water, the overhead camera dolly on a track along the canopy of the Olympic Stadium for the 35 metres (115 ft) high zenithal shot of the athletics track, the stabilized optic gyro-zoom cameras, the super slow motion PAL camera and the microcamera on the high jump bar. To cover the Games, major international broadcasting unions such as the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU),
13899-506: The women's event. Rules require that male gymnasts touch each corner of the floor at least once during their routine. A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg and double leg work. Single leg skills are generally found in the form of scissors, an element often done on the pommels. Double leg work, however, is the main staple of this event. The gymnast swings both legs in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise depending on preference) and performs such skills on all parts of
14022-418: The women's side, Simone Biles of the United States has the most titles with seven, followed by Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union with four. Gina Gogean , Daniela Silivaș , and Nellie Kim have three titles each. A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single-leg and double-leg work. Single-leg skills are generally found in the form of "scissors". In double leg work, the gymnast swings both legs in
14145-433: The women's side, Věra Čáslavská of Czechoslovakia and Simone Biles of the United States are tied for the most titles, with four. Simona Amânar , Cheng Fei , Elena Zamolodchikova , and Rebeca Andrade have each won three. The floor event occurs on a carpeted 12 m × 12 m (39 ft × 39 ft) square consisting of rigid foam over a layer of plywood supported by springs or foam blocks. This provides
14268-404: Was " Barcelona ", a classical crossover song composed five years earlier by Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran ; Mercury was an admirer of lyric soprano Montserrat Caballé , both recorded the official theme as a duet. Due to Mercury's death eight months earlier, the duo was unable to perform the song together during the opening ceremony. A recording of the song instead played over a travelogue of
14391-513: Was documented by Philostratus' work Gymnastics: The Ethics of an Athletic Aesthetic . The original term for the practice of gymnastics is from the related Greek verb γυμνάζω ( gumnázō ), which translates as "to train naked or nude," because young men exercised without clothing. In ancient Greece, physical fitness was highly valued among both men and women. It was not until after the Romans conquered Greece in 146BC that gymnastics became more formalized and
14514-522: Was founded in Liege in 1881. By the end of the nineteenth century, men's gymnastics competition was popular enough to be included in the first modern Olympic Games , in 1896. From then until the early 1950s, both national and international competitions involved a changing variety of exercises gathered under the rubric, gymnastics, which included, for example, synchronized team floor calisthenics , rope climbing, high jumping, running, and horizontal ladder. During
14637-464: Was located at the exhibition halls of Fira de Barcelona in Montjuïc. NHK and Panasonic developed the 1/2" DX digital system used to record the Games digitally for the first time. Also new were the underwater camera dolly on a track at the bottom of the swimming pool, the underwater microcameras at the bottom of the water polo pool, the periscope camera capable of transmit shots from below and above
14760-697: Was more aesthetic and individual and that left behind the focus on strictness, discipline, the emphasis on defeating records, and a focus on strength. Don Francisco Amorós y Ondeano —a Spanish colonel born on 19 February 1770, in Valencia, who died on 8 August 1848, in Paris—was the first person to introduce educative gymnastics in France. The German Friedrich Ludwig Jahn began the German gymnastics movement 1811 in Berlin, which led to
14883-475: Was not unheard of for teenagers to compete in the 1960s – Ludmilla Tourischeva was 16 at her first Olympics in 1968 – younger female gymnasts slowly became the norm as the sport's difficulty increased. Smaller, lighter girls generally excelled in the more challenging acrobatic elements required by the redesigned Code of Points . The 58th Congress of the FIG – held in July 1980, just before the Olympics – decided to raise
15006-430: Was the only score. It was and still is out of 10.00, except for short exercises. During the gymnast's performance, the judges deduct this score only. A fall, on or off the apparatus, is a 1.00 deduction in elite level gymnastics. The introduction of the difficulty score is a significant change. The gymnast's difficulty score is based on what elements they perform and is subject to change if they do not perform or complete all
15129-474: Was used to train men in warfare. On the basis of Philostratus' claim that gymnastics is a form of wisdom, comparable to philosophy, poetry, music, geometry, and astronomy, the people of Athens combined this more physical training with the education of the mind. At the Palestra, a physical education training center, the discipline of educating the body and the mind were combined, allowing for a form of gymnastics that
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