At the London 2012 Games Rhythmic Gymnastics is one of the three disciplines of the sport of Gymnastics.
2012 Summer Olympic Gymnastics – Rhythmic Events Key facts
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Sunday 14 August
Gold medals: 2
Athletes: Individual – 24, Groups – 12
Rhythmic Gymnastics: A short history
Rhythmic Gymnastics evolved in the 1800s from a host of related disciplines. It incorporated elements from classical ballet, such as pliés and arabesques, as well as the German system of emphasising apparatus work for muscle development and the Swedish method of using free exercise to develop rhythm.
Originally group gymnastics with some choreography, it grew slowly until the first experimental competitions appeared in eastern Europe in the 1930s.
The International Gymnastics Federation FIG recognised rhythmic gymnastics as an official discipline in 1963, and a year later organised an international tournament in Budapest. In 1964 the tournament was officially declared the first Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships. Ludmila Savinkova of the Soviet Union became the first world champion.
The number of athletes grew as interest spread to other parts of the world. Gymnasts from the United States first appeared at the championships in 1973,
Rhythmic Gymnastics at the Olympic Games
The sport of Gymnastics has featured in all of the modern Olympic Games.
Rhythmic Gymnastics was introduced at Los Angeles 1984.
How the competition runs
Rhythmic Gymnastics is for women only, and is a combination of gymnastics and dance.
Gymnasts perform short routines to music using a small piece of hand apparatus – a rope, hoop, ball, clubs or ribbon. There are events for both Individual Gymnasts and Groups (of five women).
Scores are awarded by three panels of judges who assess the difficulty, artistry and execution of each exercise.
Jargon buster
* Ball: The ball must be made of rubber or soft plastic, with a diameter of 18-20cm. It must weigh at least 400g.
* Hoop: The hoop may be made of wood or plastic, with an inner diameter of 80 to 90 centimetres. It must weigh at least 300 grams.
* Rope: The rope, made from hemp or a similar material, has no set length because it is relative to the height of the gymnast.
* Clubs: Gymnasts work with two bottle-shaped clubs of equal length, 40-50cm, resembling a slender tenpin bowling pin in shape. Clubs are made of wood or plastic and weigh at least 150g.
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