Did you know gymnastics originated from ancient Greece about 2500 years ago?
Its name comes from the Greek word 'gymnos' which actually means naked! This is because young men trained in the nude undergoing intense physical and mental training for war.
It was also used to train to keep fit for sporting activities and in the Greek city of Athens, gymnastic tournaments were often held making it a hub of activity.
They would perform activities such as floor exercises, tumbling, weight lifting and rope climbing competing against each other.
In 1811 German doctor, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn started the German gymnastics movement for young men with the invention of parallel bars, rings, high bar, the pommel horse and the vault horse – he is often regarded as the father of modern gymnastics.
In 1820, Germans Charles Beck and Charles Follen and American John Neal introduced gymnastics to America.
The sport grew in popularity and in 1896 artistic gymnastics was introduced at the first Olympic Games in Athens where it all began so many years before. It has been a regular sport at every Olympic games to the present day.
In 1928 women began competing in Olympic gymnastics at the games in Amsterdam, until this point is was only men that competed.
Due to the Russian Gymnastic Federation being formed in 1883 and its increasing popularity in Russia, by 1952 the Soviet Union had become the leaders in Olympic gymnastics.
So, when you come along to a Little Steps session you are taking part in an activity steeped in history dating back over 2500 years ago! Share this with your children so they can find out about gymnastics.
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