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.
The International Gymnastics Federation is the body governing competition in all disciplines of gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded on 23 July 1881 in Liège, Belgium, making it the world's oldest existing international sports organisation. Originally called the European Federation of Gymnastics, it had three member countries—Belgium, France and the Netherlands—until 1921, when non-European countries were admitted and it received its current name.
Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive discipline of gymnastics where partnerships of gymnasts work together and perform routines consisting of acrobatic skills, dance and tumbling, set to music. There are three types of routines; a 'balance' routine where the focus is on strength, poise and flexibility; a 'dynamic' routine which includes throws, somersaults and catches, and a 'combined' routine which includes elements from both balance and dynamic.
Larisa Andreea Iordache is a Romanian former artistic gymnast. She represented Romania at the 2012 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal with the team, and at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Edward Robin Upcott is a five times British acrobatic gymnast champion who was world men's pairs champion in partnership with Doug Fordyce, winning the gold medal in July 2010 in Poland. Before his partnership with Fordyce, Upcott was in partnership with Mark Fyson, who retired in 2009 after the pair had won the bronze medal in the 2008 world championships in Glasgow. With his new partner Adam McAssey, Upcott was awarded the silver medal in the 2012 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Douglas Fordyce, known usually as Doug Fordyce, is a British acrobatic gymnast who won the title of world men's pairs champion with Edward Upcott in July 2010 in Poland.
The Acrobatic Gymnastics European Championships are the main acrobatic gymnastics championships in Europe. The championships are organized by European Gymnastics, formerly known as the European Union of Gymnastics.
Eline De Smedt is a Belgian female acrobatic gymnast. With partner Nikki Snel, Eline De Smedt achieved gold in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Jéssica Correia is a Portuguese female acrobatic gymnast. With partners Íris Mendes and Bárbara da Silva Sequeira, Correia achieved 8th in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. In 2017, she became the first Portuguese acrobat to join the Cirque du Soleil.
Kaat Dumarey is a Belgian female acrobatic gymnast. With partners Ineke Van Schoor and Julie Van Gelder, Dumarey achieved bronze in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Julie Van Gelder is a Belgian female acrobatic gymnast. With partners Ineke Van Schoor and Kaat Dumarey, Van Gelder achieved bronze in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Millie Spalding is a British female acrobatic gymnast. With partners Georgia Lancaster and Elise Matthews, Spalding achieved gold in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Laura Viaud is a French female acrobatic gymnast. With partners Léna Carrau and Agathe Meunier, Viaud competed in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. She also competed in the first European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015.
Solano Cassamajor is a Belgian male acrobatic gymnast. Along with his partner, Yana Vastavel, he finished 4th in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Vincent Casse is a Belgian male acrobatic gymnast. Along with his partner, Arne Van Gelder, he finished 4th in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
Arne Van Gelder was a Belgian male professional acrobatic gymnast. Arne started competing for the Belgian Federation in 2010 and retired in 2017 after a shoulder injurie.
Dominic Smith is a British male acrobatic gymnast. With Alice Upcott, he was awarded the gold medal in the 2013 World Games, the gold medal at the 2013 Acrobatic Gymnastics European Championships and the silver medal in the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics 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.
Eythora Elisabet Thorsdottir is a Dutch artistic gymnast. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics where she finished ninth in the individual all-around. At the 2017 European Championships, she won a silver medal on balance beam and a bronze medal on floor exercise. She is also the 2019 European floor exercise silver medalist and the 2023 European bronze medalist with the Dutch team.
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.
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