Gymnastics

What is gymnastics?

Gymnastics is the judged sport of the trained body — artistic gymnastics on apparatus (vault, bars, beam, floor for women; six events for men), rhythmic gymnastics with ribbon, hoop and ball, trampoline, plus acrobatic, aerobic and parkour disciplines — all under the FIG, the oldest international federation in world sport.^[1] [2]

How does gymnastics work?

Since 2006 the Code of Points is open-ended: a routine's difficulty score (every element's published value, named skills carrying their originators' names) adds to an execution score judged from 10 — producing itemized, auditable results. World and Olympic finals run from qualification through team, all-around and apparatus finals; the FIG licenses every international gymnast.^[2] [3]

Disciplines & events in gymnastics

What are gymnastics' origins?

From the German and Czech gymnastics movements of the 19th century — the Turnverein and Sokol — through the FIG's founding in Liège in 1881 and the first Olympic program of 1896; women's artistic gymnastics entered the Games in 1928 and became, from Comăneci's perfect 10 to Biles's era, one of the Olympics' defining spectacles.^[1] [2]

Where is gymnastics popular?

The United States leads the women's game — the Biles era and an NCAA circuit that fills arenas — with Japan and China the men's superpowers, and Britain, Italy, Brazil and (through neutral-status athletes) Russia among the elite; rhythmic gymnastics rules in Eastern Europe, Israel, Bulgaria, Italy and Germany.^[2] [4]

Who governs gymnastics?

The FIG — which now presents itself as World Gymnastics — governs all disciplines worldwide through what it gives as more than 160 national member federations^[15] (USA Gymnastics in the United States) — the Code of Points, athlete licences, the Worlds and World Cup series, and Olympic gymnastics — with continental unions running their championships.^[2] [3]

What are the most important competitions in gymnastics?

• The Olympic Games — gymnastics' defining stage since 1896.^[4]
• The World Championships — annual artistic worlds, plus rhythmic and trampoline worlds.^[3]
• The FIG World Cup and Challenge Cup series — the season circuit and Olympic qualifying route.^[2]
• Continental championships — the Europeans above all.^[2]
• The NCAA Championships — the sport's American second life.^[5]

How is gymnastics awarded?

• Olympic and world medals — team, all-around and per apparatus.^[3] [4]
• Named elements — a skill first performed at Worlds or the Games enters the Code of Points under the gymnast's name: a permanent, published credential.^[2]
• World Cup standings and FIG licences — the documented circuit record.^[2]
• National titles and NCAA All-America honors in the American system.^[5]

What is the college role in gymnastics?

NCAA women's gymnastics is a phenomenon: sold-out SEC arenas, perfect-10 scoring, and a post-elite path where Olympians extend careers — while men's NCAA programs, though fewer, remain the U.S. men's pipeline. College gymnastics' rise (NIL-era stars included) has remade the sport's American economics.^[5]

Who has won the most in gymnastics?

Artistic gymnastics only; rhythmic and trampoline are separate Olympic disciplines. The early Games (1896–1932) included events no longer held — rope climbing, club swinging, tumbling — which inflate the United States' country total. Ranked by total, then gold, then silver; through Paris 2024.

Most Olympic artistic gymnastics medals — men

Most Olympic artistic gymnastics medals — women

All-time Olympic artistic gymnastics medal table by country

Ties are broken by gold, then silver; a tie at tenth place is shown in full when four or fewer share it. Historic teams are kept as separate rows exactly as the source counts them. Verified September 2026.^[6] [7]

Which brands supply and sponsor gymnastics?

Gymnastics apparatus is certified. The FIG Apparatus Norms, Edition 2026, effective 1 June 2026 on their cover though the operative section states they are valid from 1 May 2021, are compulsory for all FIG events and at the Olympic Games, World Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Pan-American Games, University Games and other multisport Games with international participation, where no apparatus which does not have a valid FIG Certificate may be used; at all other national and international events the FIG strongly recommends certified apparatus rather than requiring it. The Technical Regulations 2026, version 4.0 of May 2026, require at article 4.10.3 that all competition apparatus comply with the Apparatus Norms.^[8][9] The FIG publishes the certified apparatus in a database organised by manufacturer and apparatus code, each certificate carrying an expiry date; in alphabetical order it opens with Acrosport, Amaya Sport and American Athletic, and it carries Shandong Taishan Sports Equipment, which the International Judo Federation separately lists as its Master judogi and tatami supplier.^[10][11]

Clothing is separate: Technical Regulations article 5.10 sends attire to the FIG Rules for Competition Clothing and Advertising, and 5.10.1 allows all disciplines spaces for publicity or sponsor advertising, within the limits set out at sponsorship and athlete marketing rules.^[9]

In an announcement the company dated 20 February 2025, the FIG named Corpay, Inc.'s Cross-Border business the Official FIG Global FX Exchange Payments Supplier; no term is published.^[12][13]

Measurement here is judging support, not timing. The FIG states it has worked with Fujitsu since 2017 on a Judging Support System, which it describes as a judging support tool that does not replace judges and does not make official judging decisions, deployed at the 2019 world championships on four apparatus and on all ten in 2023.^[14]