Artistic Gymnastics History
Gymnastics, as an activity, has existed for over 2,000 years, but its development as a competitive sport began just a little more than 100 years ago. During the 1800s, mass and individual exhibitions were conducted by various school clubs, athletic clubs and ethnic organizations such as the Turnvereins and Sokols.

Although slow to catch on in the schools, gymnastics did flourish in the Turnvereins and Sokols. It was introduced to the United States and its school systems in the 1830s by such immigrants as Charles Beck, Charles Follen and Francis Lieber.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) was formed in 1881, then called the Bureau of the European Gymnastics Federation, opening the way for international competition. In the United States, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) assumed control of gymnastics, along with most other amateur sports, in 1883. Prior to this time gymnastics championships were held by various clubs and organizations.

The first large-scale meeting of gymnasts was the 1896 Olympics, where Germany virtually swept the medal parade. Gymnasts from five countries competed in events which included men's horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, and vault.

The first international gymnastics competition outside of the Olympics was held in 1903 in Antwerp, Belgium, and gymnasts from Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands competed in what is now considered the first World Championships. At St. Louis in 1904, the men's team combined competition was added to the Olympic program.

At the ninth World Championships in 1930 at Luxembourg, the competition included the pole vault, broad jump, shot put, rope climb and a 100-meter sprint. Track and field did not fully disappear from the World Gymnastics Championships circuit until the 1954 competition.

At the 1924 Games in Paris, the basis of modern Olympic gymnastics competition was firmly established. The athletes (men) began to compete for individual Olympic titles on each apparatus, as well as in combined individual and team exercises. The 1928 Games witnessed the debut of the first women's event, the team combined exercise, won by the Netherlands. The U.S. women first competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.

The United States Gymnastics Federation, now known as USA Gymnastics, became the national governing body of the sport in the United States in 1970 and remains as such today.

Rhythmic Gymnastics History
In 1962, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) officially recognized rhythmic gymnastics as a sport. The first Rhythmic World Championships took place in 1963 in Budapest, Hungary, where 28 athletes from 10 European countries competed. The United States sent their first delegation to the Rhythmic World Championships in 1973.

The rhythmic individual all-around competition was added to the Olympic Games in 1984. In 1996, the rhythmic group event was added as a medal-sport at the Olympic Games for the first time.

Trampolining and Tumbling
Trampoline and tumbling can be traced to archaeological drawings in ancient China, Egypt and Persia. Over the years a number of methods have been devised to allow man to gain time in the air and perform a variety of skills. The trampoline is one of these methods. Trampoline was not actually a competitive event until after its invention by an American, George Nissen as a portable unit in 1936. From 1947 through 1964, trampolining was included as an event in gymnastics competitions by both the AAU and NCAA.

The first Trampoline World Championships were held in 1964, and trampoline was first recognized as a sport in its own right in the United States in 1967. Trampoline will make its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Power Tumbling, first performed on simple mats, has had U.S. National Championships dating back to 1886. A number of different surfaces have been used for power tumbling, including mats, ski floors, spring floors and today's fiber-glass rod floors, invented by Randy Mulkey.

Double Mini-Trampoline competition was added in 1978. The first double mini-trampoline began as two individual mini-tramps, separated by a small table covered by a mat. Later, a one-piece unit was developed by Bob Bollinger and is used today as the official equipment for that event.

Sports Acrobatics
The roots of Sports Acrobatics can be traced back to ancient Greece. Modern-day Sports Acrobatics began in the Soviet Union in the 1930's, and emerged in the United States in the 1970's with the acrobats on Muscle Beach, California. The first national organization, United States Sports Acrobatics Federation (USSAF), was founded in 1975 to be followed by a change to the United States Sports Acrobatics (USSA) in the 1990's. USSA merged with USA Gymnastics in 2002, making it the fifth discipline, and the connection between sports acrobatics and gymnastics continues to grow today. The United States was first represented in Moscow in 1974 by tumblers only. Representation at World Championships has been on the rise ever since. In fact, the United States won its first gold medal at a World Championships in Riesa, Germany, in 2002.

From USA Gymnastics Online