24 Teams or Countries JPN, KZK, BLR, DEN, FRA, GBR, GEO, POL, POR, RUS, UKR, CAN, USA, BRA, AUS, RSA Outline of this Sport Athletes turn somersaults, landing feet first on a tumbling track. There are 8 different techniques for the athlete to perform.
Tumblers demonstrate speed, strength and skill while executing a series of acrobatic maneuvers.
Explosive somersaults with multiple flips and twists are performed by top level contenders. The true origin of tumbling is not exactly known, however tumbling was introduced as a part of the gymnastics competition in the 10th Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. Apparently this event gave rise to eager study in counties interested in gymnastics and strengthened the foundations of the tumbling competition. In the 1999 World championships Russia were placed in first and second place, England in third. Other countries considered among the worlds best include China and the Ukraine.