The beautiful and powerful sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics has been on the agenda of all but four FISU World University Games, and the 2021 FISU Chengdu Games will celebrate its 16th anniversary.^p simple look. FISU Games featured legendary gymnasts such as six-time men’s world champion Kohei Uchimura and the first gymnast to achieve a perfect score, Nadia Comeneci. The current generation of student gymnasts will soon have the opportunity to shine in Chengdu.

The history of Greece plays a significant role in the evolution of gymnastics. The word itself is derived from a Greek word essentially meaning “to train without clothes.” Gymnastics in Greek times was a series of exercises and activities designed to promote physical and mental health. Much of what would have been considered “gymnastics” in Greek times would now be seen as separate and separate sports, such as weightlifting or running. However, falling floor exercises were part of Greek gymnastics and are still part of the competition. Evidence also suggests that other civilizations in China and Egypt had activities that mirrored what is known as gymnastics.

From ancient times, gymnastics disappeared for a significant period of history before reappearing in Europe The Enlightenment, from the late 17th century to the early 19th century, when the emphasis on physical and mental education returned. This desire was also related to the preparation of people for the military service of their countries. This nationalistic passion for gymnastics continued in Prussia, where one of the fathers of modern gymnastics, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, began to use gymnastics as a means of developing and instilling national pride. This Turnverein move, which evolved from Jahn’s plans, used devices similar to those used today, such as a pommel horse and balance beam. A similar movement, the Falcon, was founded in Prague in the 1860s and encouraged community development through mass participation.

Competition at festivals began in the late 19th century, but real international competition began at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. This was followed by the first men’s World Championships in 1903 with women competitions added in 1934 (women’s competitions had been added earlier at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics). In the early days of competition, events such as rope climbing and club swinging were present, but all have slowly been discarded in favor of what we see today.

With all this unique history, rhythmic gymnastics is often one of the most popular FISU Games events. Beautiful Dong’an Lake Sports Park Multi-Purpose Gymnasium will host the Chengdu Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition from August 1 to August 5, with 14 sets of medals up for grabs in team, individual all-around and individual events. Women will compete in jumping, parallel bars, balance beams and exercises on the floor, and men in exercises on the floor, pommel horse, jumping, rings, parallel bars and horizontal bars.

The final of the competition will be broadcast live fisu.tv and you can keep up with all the action on Chengdu 2021 FISU Games official website.

The following were used as references in this article:

The History of Gymnastics, From Ancient Greece to Tokyo 2020 | History | Smithsonian Magazine;

How gymnastics became the beloved Olympic sport (nationalgeographic.com);

Gymnastics | Events, equipment, types, history and facts | Britannica

Written by Doug McLean