Australian artistic gymnast Lauren Mitchell does a layout step-out during the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London.
A gymnast on the pommel horse at a competition.

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**Gymnastics** is a sport which involves doing exercises which need strength, flexibility, balance and control. This may include running, jumping, tumbling, somersaulting, flipping and balancing. Mental skills are also involved such as confidence, diet control and focus. 

In women's gymnastics, there are four activities: floor, uneven bars, balance beam, and vault. In men's gymnastics, there are six activities: floor exercise, parallel bars, high bar, pommel horse, vault, and rings.

Gymnastics is a Summer Olympic sport.

History
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Gymnastics began as a form of exercise in ancient Greece. It was one of the first sports in the Olympics.

Forms of gymnastics
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There are several forms of gymnastics, including rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, trampolining, and wheel gymnastics and no handed gymnastics. In *artistic gymnastics*, gymnasts perform short routines using different pieces of equipment. *Acrobatics* involves showing balance and performing flips on the floor or in the air. In *trampolining*, gymnasts do routines using only the trampoline. *Wheel gymnasts* exercise in a large wheel called a German wheel. 

* RhythmicRhythmic
* TrampolineTrampoline
* WheelWheel

In *rhythmic gymnastics*, gymnasts perform with ribbons, rope, ball, hoop and clubs. Usually, only females do rhythmic gymnastics because they are more flexible than males.

Other websites
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 Media related to gymnastics at Wikimedia Commons

* FM Gymnastics Archived 2007-03-29 at the Wayback Machine- a list of Techniques and free animated comic tutorials for Floor Gymnastics.

### Websites of the federations

**Federation Internationale de Gymnastique**

* Argentina Gimnasia Argentina
* Australia Gymnastics Australia Archived 2013-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
* Brazil Brazilian Gymnastics Federation
* Canada Gymnastics Canada Archived 2007-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
* China Chinese Gymnastics Association Archived 2001-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
* France Fédération Française de Gymnastique
* Italy Federazione Ginnastica d'Italia
* Japan Japan Gymnastic Association Archived 2014-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
* Mexico Mexican Gymnastics Federation Archived 2021-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
* Romania Romanian Gymnastics Federation Archived 2007-05-20 at the Wayback Machine
* Russia Russian Gymnastics Federation
* United Kingdom British Gymnastics
* United States USA Gymnastics Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine