Gymnastics events have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1896. [1] South African female artistic gymnasts have participated in three editions of the Summer Olympics, in 1960, 2004, and 2020. South African women have yet to win a medal at the Olympics.
Gymnast | Years | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Antoinette Kuiters | 1960 | [2] |
Zandré Labuschagne | 2004 | [2] |
Caitlin Rooskrantz | 2020, 2024 | [2] |
Naveen Daries | 2020 | [2] |
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad and officially branded as Mexico 1968, were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America and the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country. They were also the first Games to use an all-weather (smooth) track for track and field events instead of the traditional cinder track, as well as the first example of the Olympics exclusively using electronic timekeeping equipment.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform 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.
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the Code of Points used to score performances and regulates all aspects of elite international competition. Within individual countries, gymnastics is regulated by national federations such as British Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics. Artistic gymnastics is a popular spectator sport at many competitions, including the Summer Olympic Games.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, three disciplines of gymnastics were contested: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline. The artistic gymnastics and trampoline events were held at the Olympic Indoor Hall and the rhythmic gymnastics events were held at the Galatsi Olympic Hall.
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, and commonly known as Tokyo 1964, were an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan, from 9 to 24 October. A total of 5,151 athletes representing 93 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated. The games featured 163 events across 19 sports and 24 disciplines. Two new sports were introduced to the Summer Olympic Games program in Tokyo: judo and volleyball. The inclusion of volleyball marked the first time that a women's team sport had been introduced.
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 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for the sport of rhythmic gymnastics. The tournament is promoted and organized by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). It is one of the three tournaments in rhythmic gymnastics officially organized by FIG, as well as the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup and the gymnastics competitions at the Olympic Games. The first edition of the World Championships was held in 1963, a time when the sport was known as modern gymnastics. The current program of the World Championships contemplates both individual and group performances. In even non-Olympic years and the year before the Olympics, a team event is also contested. Two events are not competed at the World Championships anymore: individual rope and free hands.
The Australian Youth Olympics Festival (AYOF) is an international multi-sport event organised by the Australian Olympic Committee for athletes from 13 to 19 years of age. The first event was held in 2001.
The Artistic Gymnastics World Cup is a competition series for artistic gymnastics sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). It is one of the few tournaments in artistic gymnastics officially organized by FIG, as well as the World Championships and the gymnastics competitions at the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympics. Beginning in the 2017-2020 quadrennium, the All-Around and Individual Apparatus World Cup series are used to qualify a maximum of seven spots to the Olympic Games.
Gymnastics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was held in three categories: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining. All gymnastics events were staged at the Arena Olímpica do Rio from 6 to 21 August 2016.
Gymnastics at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo was held in three categories: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining. All gymnastics events were staged at the Olympic Gymnastic Centre, Tokyo in 2021.
The aerobic gymnastics tournaments at the 2017 World Games in Wrocław was played between 21 and 22 July. One hundred sixteen aerobic gymnastics competitors, from 13 nations, participated in the tournament. The aerobic gymnastics competition took place at Centennial Hall in Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
The South African Gymnastics Federation is the overall governing body of the sports of gymnastics in South Africa. Established in 1931, the body is affiliated to the International Federation of Gymnastics, the African Gymnastics Union and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), and recognized by Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA).
The trampoline gymnastics tournaments at the 2017 World Games in Wrocław were contested between 24 and 26 July. 78 trampoline gymnastics competitors, from 22 nations, participated in the tournament. The trampoline gymnastics competition took place at Centennial Hall in Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Below is a list of notable men's and women's artistic gymnastics international events scheduled to be held in 2020, as well as the medalists.
Caitlin Aileen Rooskrantz is a South African artistic gymnast. She represented South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was the first South African gymnast to qualify for the Olympics without a continental quota. Rooskrantz and teammate Naveen Daries became the first female gymnasts of color to represent South Africa and the Olympics. She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games uneven bars bronze medalist, South Africa's first gymnastics medal at the Commonwealth Games since 2010. She is the 2022 African all-around champion and a two-time African uneven bars champion. She is a two-time uneven bars gold medalist on the FIG World Cup series. She represented South Africa at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she was the flag bearer of her country along with the male sprinter Akani Simbine.
Naveen Natascha Daries is a South African artistic gymnast who represented her country at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Championships, as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She took the bronze medal in the all-around at the 2021 African Championships, earning a continental berth to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Gymnastics competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be contested in three categories: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining. The artistic and trampoline events will occur at the Bercy Arena, with the rhythmic events staged at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from 8 to 10 August.