Olympic Gymnastics: Rhythmic

Gymnastics were actually one of the first ever events held as part of the ancient games in Greece. Gymnasia in those days were places of overall exercise including mind, body and culture. Although the sport of gymnastics has developed considerably since then, the link between mental and physical exertion is still clearly evident in many of the competitions.

In each of the activities there are two panels of judges that award marks based on the difficulty of the tasks and how well they are performed. In modern gymnastics the events can be split into three categories: artistic, rhythmic and trampoline.

Rhythmic gymnastics was introduced in 1984 and is a women only event (96 women will compete in the event at the 2012 Olympics) which combines both dance and gymnastics. Props may be used although these are often cosmetic such as a ball, ribbon or a hoop.