I.

Introduction

Gymnastics, competitive sport that tests an athlete's strength, rhythm, balance, flexibility, and agility. There are three major forms of competitive gymnastics: artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline. Artistic and trampoline gymnastics are part of male and female competitions. Rhythmic gymnastics is open only to females.

Artistic gymnastics consists of prescribed sets of events, such as the vault, which are scored separately by judges to determine individual winners. Rhythmic gymnastics consists of several events in which the gymnasts use objects such as balls and hoops while performing choreographed routines, which are scored separately and then added together to determine an overall winner. In the trampoline event, gymnasts bounce on a springboard device and are judged on the movements they perform while airborne.

The international ruling body for gymnastics is the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (International Federation of Gymnastics). In the United States the governing body for the sport is USA Gymnastics. Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique governs the sport in Canada.

The term gymnastics also refers to a system of physical exercises used for therapeutic or educational purposes. Therapeutic or remedial gymnastics is a series of selected exercises that help relieve physical discomfort or restore body function for disabled people. Educational gymnastics is a program that challenges students to master tactics involving strength, flexibility, and conditioning.