Gymnastics

The sport of gymnastics is over 2,000 years old. In the present day, females participate in four different disciplines of gymnastics-artistic, rhythmic, trampoline and tumbling, and acrobatic. In the United States, the national governing body for the sport is USA Gymnastics, which is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization has more than 90,000 registered athletes, with females making up nearly 75 percent of that number. Approximately 85 percent of female gymnastics athletes are under the age of 14. [Page 659]From an international perspective, gymnastics is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, also known as the FIG. The FIG was formed in 1881 and currently has 129 member federations, meaning that organized gymnastics is present in 129 countries around the globe. The FIG serves ...