Where did the Olympic competitions start?

The words "gymnastics" and "gym" come from the Greek language, for it was in Greece that Olympic competitions started. There are also records of gymnastics being performed in China and some other Asian countries. Modem gymnastics began in the 19th century. In 1811 an outdoor gymnastics center for men was opened in Berlin where they could do body-building and exercises on a high bar and other pieces of equipment. At the same time, gymnastics, without equipment, was developed in Sweden as a keep-fit program for schools.
     Dance is an important part of training as it prepares you for the types of movements required in gymnastics. One of the aims is to make the body stronger for jumps and turns and for movements of balance. It also helps your body bend forwards, backwards and sideways, and improves the way you hold your body. In competitions women perform some of their exercises to music, so dance, gymnastics and music are all connected.
     To become a top gymnast, it is important to start when very young. In fact, most gymnasts start with simple exercises while they are still at kindergarten. Girls are already performing in competitions by the age of 10, and Olympic medals are often won by 14-year-old or 15-year-old girls. Boys develop physically later than girls and so Olympic gymnastics medals are usually won by men between the ages of 19 and 25.
     In competitions, gymnasts have to perform on different pieces of equipment. Only men perform on the rings, on the double bars, on the high bar, and on a type of "horse" with four legs which has two handles fixed to the top surface. Only women perform on the high-and-low bars, one of which is higher than the other, and on the "beam", which is a length of wood only four inches wide which is fixed at a height of 1.2 meters above the ground. Both men and women do floor exercises on the mat.