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.
Meels (Iranian), or Indian clubs, are a type of exercise equipment used to present resistance in movement to develop strength and mobility. They consist of juggling-club shaped wooden clubs of varying sizes and weights, which are swung in certain patterns as part of a strength exercise program. They can range in weight from a few pounds each to special clubs that can weigh as much as up to 100 pounds. They were used in carefully choreographed routines in which the clubs were swung in unison by a group of exercisers, led by an instructor, the way it is still practiced in Varzesh-e Bastani in Iran and similar to 21st-century aerobics or zumba classes. The routines would vary according to the group's ability along with the weights of the clubs being used. When the 19th-century British colonists came across exercising clubs in India, they named them Indian clubs.
Gymnastics events have been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. For 32 years, only men were allowed to compete. Beginning at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, women were allowed to compete in artistic gymnastics events as well. Rhythmic gymnastics events were introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and trampoline events were added at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
The men's individual all-around, also known as the heptathlon, was one of two gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. As suggested by the alternate name, the competition included seven events with the scores summed to give a final score. Each nation could enter up to 20 gymnasts, with France and Great Britain each entering the maximum. A total of 97 gymnasts from 12 nations competed. The event was won by Alberto Braglia of Italy, the nation's first medal in the men's individual all-around. Silver went to Walter Tysall of Great Britain, the first medal for the nation as well. France's Louis Ségura earned bronze.
The men's parallel bars was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time the event was held at the Olympics. An unknown number of gymnasts competed, only five are known. The competition was held on Friday, October 28, 1904. The event was won by George Eyser, with Anton Heida second and John Duha.
The men's horizontal bar was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time the event was held at the Olympics. An unknown number of gymnasts competed, only five are known at present. The competition was held on Friday, October 28, 1904. Anton Heida and Edward Hennig tied for first, with George Eyser third.
The men's vault was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was only the second time that the event was held at the Olympics. An unknown number of gymnasts competed, only five are known. The competition was held on Friday, October 28, 1904.
The men's pommel horse was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time the event was held at the Olympics. An unknown number of gymnasts competed, only five are known. The competition was held on Friday, October 28, 1904. All known competitors were American. The event was won by Anton Heida, with George Eyser second and William Merz third.
The men's combined was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics, and was held on Friday, October 28. 1904 was the second time a combined apparatus event was held at the Olympics, though the previous incarnation was more similar to the all-around turnverein which took place in July. The format of the combined, however, was the basis for later all-around type events.
The men's rings was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time the event was held at the Olympics. An unknown number of gymnasts competed, only three are known. The competition was held on Friday, October 28, 1904. All three of the known competitors, the medalists, were American. The event was won by Herman Glass, with William Merz second and Emil Voigt third.
The men's rope climbing was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time the event was held at the Olympics. An unknown number of gymnasts competed; only three are known, all American. The competition was held on Friday, October 28, 1904. George Eyser won the event, with Charles Krause second and Emil Voigt third.
The men's artistic individual all-around was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the gymnastics programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time an all-around event was held at the Olympics. The competition was held on Friday, July 1, 1904 and on Saturday, July 2, 1904. One hundred and nineteen gymnasts from three nations competed. The event was won by Julius Lenhart, an Austrian gymnast living in the United States and competing under the auspices of his Philadelphia-based club. Silver went to Wilhelm Weber of Germany, with bronze to Adolf Spinnler of Switzerland. They were the first medals in the event for each of those nations, as France had swept the medals in 1900.
The men's team was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the Gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first time a team event, in the sense of combining scores of individual gymnasts, was held at the Olympics. Previous team events had been performances by large groups of gymnasts at a single time. The competition was held on Friday, July 1, 1904 and on Saturday, July 2, 1904.
Philip Richard Erenberg was an American gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal for Indian clubs.
William Harmon Kuhlemeier was an American gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and was the 1932 Olympic bronze medalist in Los Angeles.
The men's vault event was part of the gymnastics programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. It was one of nine gymnastics events and it was contested for the third time after 1896 and 1904. The competition was held on Monday, July 21, 1924. Seventy gymnasts from nine nations competed. The eight members of each nation's gymnastics team all competed; Czechoslovakia only had six competitors start the vault. The event was won by Frank Kriz of the United States, the nation's second consecutive victory in the event. Jan Koutný and Bohumil Mořkovský of Czechoslovakia took silver and bronze, respectively, the nation's first medals in the event.
The men's rings or flying rings event was part of the gymnastics programme at the 1932 Summer Olympics. It was contested for the fifth time after 1896, 1904, 1924, and 1928. The competition was held on Friday, August 12, 1932. Fourteen gymnasts from six nations competed. There were 14 gymnasts from six nations. Each nation was limited to three gymnasts. The event was won by George Gulack of the United States, the nation's first medal in the rings since 1904 and second overall. Another American, Bill Denton, took silver. The United States was not able to complete a repeat of its 1904 sweep, however, as Italy's Giovanni Lattuada beat the third American, Richard Bishop, by one-tenth of a point for the bronze.
The men's Indian clubs event was part of the gymnastics programme at the 1932 Summer Olympics at Los Angeles. It was contested for the only time at the Olympics. The 1904 Summer Olympics saw a club swinging event. The competition was held on Tuesday, August 9, 1932. Four gymnasts from two nations competed.
The men's rope climbing event was part of the gymnastics programme at the 1932 Summer Olympics. It was contested for the fourth and last time after 1896, 1904, and 1924. The competition was held on Wednesday, August 10, 1932. Five gymnasts from two nations competed. All three medalists were from the host nation, as Americans Raymond Bass, William Galbraith, and Thomas F. Connolly took the honors.
Club swinging was an artistic gymnastics event held at the Summer Olympics. It was only held twice: 1904 and 1932. In 1932 only four competitors from two nations competed.
