Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordinated. Rhythmic gymnastics is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which first recognized it as a sport in 1963. It became an Olympic sport in 1984 with an individual all-around event. The group all-around competition was added to the Olympics in 1996. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport. The most prestigious competitions, besides the Olympic Games, are the World Championships, World Games, European Championships, European Games, the World Cup Series and the Grand Prix Series. Gymnasts are judged on their artistry, execution of skills, and difficulty of skills, for which they gain points. They perform leaps, balances, and rotations along with handling the apparatus.
Neta Rivkin is a retired Israeli individual rhythmic gymnast.
Giulia Steingruber is a Swiss retired artistic gymnast. She is the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World bronze medalist on vault. Additionally, she is the 2015 European all-around champion, a four-time European vault champion and the 2016 European floor exercise champion.
Aesthetic group gymnastics (AGG) is a discipline of gymnastics developed from Finnish "Women's Gymnastics" (naisvoimistelu). The discipline is reminiscent of rhythmic gymnastics, with some significant differences: in AGG, the emphasis is on big and continuous body movement, and the teams are larger. AGG teams often consist of 4–10 gymnasts, and some children’s teams are bigger. Furthermore, apparatus is not used in international AGG competitions as it is in rhythmic gymnastics where balls, ribbons, hoops and clubs are used on the floor area. The sport requires physical qualities such as flexibility, balance, speed, strength, coordination and sense of rhythm where movements of the body are emphasized in the flow and, expressive and aesthetic appeal. A good performance is characterized by uniformity and simultaneity. The competition program consists of versatile and varied body movements, such as body waves and swings, balances and pivots, jumps and leaps, dance steps, and lifts.
Angelina Romanovna Melnikova is a Russian artistic gymnast. With eleven Olympic and World medals, she is the joint third-most decorated Russian gymnast of all time. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she led the Russian Olympic Committee to gold in the team competition. She previously represented Russia at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the team competition. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning Russian teams at the 2016 and 2018 European Championships, and the silver medal-winning Russian teams at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships.
Sanne Wevers is a Dutch artistic gymnast. She is the 2016 Olympic champion on the balance beam and was the first Dutch female gymnast to become an Olympic champion in an individual event. She is the 2018 and 2023 European champion on the balance beam. She is also the 2015 World and 2021 European silver medalist on the balance beam and the 2015 European bronze medalist on the uneven bars. She was a member of the Dutch team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 and 2023 European Championships.
Nina Derwael is a Belgian artistic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion, and a two-time European champion on the uneven bars. She is the 2019 European Games champion on the balance beam, as well as a two-time Belgian national all-around champion.
Liisa Lepola is a Finnish aesthetic group gymnast.
Arina Alexandrovna Tsitsilina is a Russian-born group rhythmic gymnast representing Belarus. She is a five-time World bronze medalist and the 2016 European champion in 5 ribbons. She also is the 2016 European group all-around silver medalist and the 2021 European team silver medalist. She represented Belarus at the 2016 and the 2020 Summer Olympics finishing fifth in the group all-around both times. She is the 2015 European Games 6 Clubs + 2 Hoops champion and the 2019 European Games group all-around and 3 hoops + 4 clubs champion.
Erika Rosenova Zafirova is a Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic group all-around champion. She is the 2019 World group all-around bronze medalist and 5 balls silver medalist. She is the 2021 European 5 balls champion and 3 hoops + 4 clubs silver medalist. She won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2019 European Games.
Emmi Nikkilä is a Finnish aesthetic group gymnast. She is a six-time Finnish National champion in Aesthetic group gymnastics competing with Team Minetit. She is a three-time AGG World champion and the 2016 AGG European champion.
Riina Ruismäki is a Finnish aesthetic group gymnast. She is a three-time (2018-2020) Finnish National champion in Aesthetic group gymnastics competing with Team Minetit. She is the 2017 AGG Junior World champion.
Finland has competed at every edition of the World Aesthetic Group Gymnastics Championships since its inception in 2000. In fact, the first edition of World Championships in Aesthetic group gymnastics was held in Helsinki, Finland. It has been the second most successful nation at the global competition for Aesthetic group gymnastics. By the end of the 2022 World Championships, its gymnasts had won a total of 45 medals, being the most successful nation. As one of the foremost nations in the sport internationally, its delegation for the championships are among the largest.
Jenna Alavahtola is a Finnish rhythmic and aesthetic group gymnast. She is the 2010 World champion and a four-time (2011-2014) Finnish National champion in Aesthetic group gymnastics competing with OVO Team.
The 2010 IFAGG World Cup series in Aesthetic Group Gymnastics is a series of competitions officially organized and promoted by the International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics.
The Aesthetic Group Gymnastics European Championships are the european championships for the sport of aesthetic group gymnastics. Aesthetic Group Gymnastics is a discipline not currently recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. European Championships are organized annually since 2016 by the International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (IFAGG). Initially, the competition was organized every year, but then in 2018 they decided to organize it every two years. In 2020, the event was postponed to 2021 due to a COVID-19 pandemic.
Olivia Yli-Juuti is a Finnish aesthetic group gymnast. She is a five-time Finnish National champion in Aesthetic group gymnastics competing with Team Minetit. She is the 2021 European silver and the 2019 World bronze medalist in aesthetic group gymnastics.
Camilla Berg is a Finnish aesthetic group gymnast. She is a five-time (2016–2020) Finnish National champion in Aesthetic group gymnastics competing with Team Minetit. She is the 2017 AGG World champion and the 2016 AGG European champion.
The 2022 World Aesthetic Group Gymnastics Championships, the 22nd edition of the Aesthetic group gymnastics competition, was held in Graz, Austria from November 25 to 27, at the Raiffeisen Sportpark.
