National Gymnastics Day Date in the current year: September 21, 2024

The term gymnastics derives from the word gymnasium, which means an ancient Greek training facility for athletes. Gymnasiums were public institutions were young men were trained in physical exercise, which was considered an important part of education in ancient Greece. In addition, gymnasiums held lectures and debates on philosophy, literature, and music.

The development of modern gymnastics began in the early 19th century. Among the people who contributed to it were Francisco Amorós y Ondeano, a Spanish colonel who opened the first gymnasium in Paris in 1817, and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, a German educator whose gymnastics movement led to the invention of the high bar, parallel bars, the pommel horse, rings, and the vault. In the 1820s, gymnastics was introduced to the United States by Charles Beck, Charles Follen, and John Neal.

Gymnastics became a truly international sport in 1881, when the European Federation of Gymnastics was founded in the Belgian city of Liège. By the time the Olympic Games were revived in 1896, men’s gymnastics was popular enough to be included in the competition program. In 1921, the European Federation of Gymnastics was renamed the International Gymnastics Federation (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, FIG) after admitting the first non-European countries.

The FID governs eight gymnastics disciplines: acrobatic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics, men’s artistic gymnastics (includes floor exercise, horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, still rings, vault), women’s artistic gymnastics (includes balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars, vault), gymnastics for all, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics (includes individual trampoline, synchronized trampoline, double mini trampoline, tumbling), and parkour.

Gymnastics is a demanding sport that requires agility, balance, coordination, dedication, endurance, flexibility, and strength. It contributes to the development of all muscle groups in the body. Participants in gymnastics and gymnastics-related sports include competitive and recreational athletes at all skill levels.

National Gymnastics Day has been observed every third Saturday of September since 1999. It is endorsed by USA Gymnastics (USAG), the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The USAG governs women’s and men’s artistic gymnastics, acrobatic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline & tumbling, and group gymnastics.

On National Gymnastics Day, professional and amateur gymnasts, coaches and gymnastics fans celebrate one of the most amazing and spectacular sports. You can join the celebration by participating in one of the many Gymnastics Day evens held across the country (demonstrations, workshops, etc.), holding an event of your own, encouraging your kid to try gymnastics, taking up gymnastics yourself, sharing your favorite gymnastics routines on social media, and spreading the word about the holiday any way you can.