Artistic gymnastics was added to the programme of the Summer Universiade in 1961 in Sofia, Bulgaria. 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.
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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.