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Events

2025
16 Jul
 
27 Jul
2023
28 Jul
 
08 Aug
2019
03 Jul
 
14 Jul
2017
19 Aug
 
30 Aug
Chinese Taipei, Taipei City
2015
03 Jul
 
14 Jul
Republic of Korea, Gwangju

FISU Technical Committee Chairs

Donatella Sacchi Technical Committee Chair
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History of Artistic Gymnastics in FISU

The roots of modern day gymnastics trace back to ancient Egypt, when young gymnasts were performing to pharaohs and the Egyptian nobility, which was being depicted in Egyptian artifacts. Paintings and carvings show evidence of people building human pyramids and practicing balancing acts. Men and women of ancient Greece enjoyed bull-leaping, and gymnastics was part of the ancient Olympic Games.

Since 1961, artistic gymnastics is a compulsory sport of the Summer Universiade and it is one of the most spectacular sports with excellent performances.

Throughout its existence, university gymnastics provided athletes an opportunity to prepare themselves for other major FIG events such as the FIG World Championships or the Olympic Games. The Zagreb gymnastics competitions in 1987, for example, were outstanding thanks to the participation of Soviet gymnast Elena Chouchounova. She took all the titles in Zagreb, before going on to confirm her mastery by collecting the individual and team gold medals at the Seoul Olympic Games. Other famous gymnasts such as Nadia Comaneci, Maria Filatova, Bogdan Makous, Ecaterina Szabo are few further names to mention.