Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular spectator sports at the Summer Olympic Games, although it is not a particularly popular participant sport, as performing at even a basic level requires very high levels of fitness and skill which take more training than many people are prepared to commit. In addition, in many nations, gymnastics is an expensive sport. However, the discipline of general gymnastics is geared more towards participation for fun and fitness, rather than competition, and attracts a respectable number of participants including retired gymnasts.

Gymnastics as a system of tuneful sports training originated in the Ancient Greece more than 2,000 years ago, although gymnastic exercises and even some sort of apparatus were used in the ancient China and India for medical purposes much earlier. The system was mentioned in works by ancient authors, such as Homer, Aristotle and Plato. It included many disciplines, which would later become separate sports: swimming, race, wrestling, boxing, riding. In its present form gymnastics evolved in Germany and Czechoslovakia in the beginning of the 19th century, and the term "artistic gymnastics". A German educator Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, who was known as the father of gymnastics invented several apparatus, including the horizontal bar and parallel bars which are used to this day.

Gymnastics has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Women's events were introduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and before that for 30 years this sport was only limited for men. The competition was held in artistic gymnastics discipline until 1984, when rhythmic gymnastics discipline was added to the program of the Olympics.

At present, in Olympic or World Championships competition, the meet is divided into several sessions:

• Team qualifying
• Team finals
• All-around finals
• Event finals


During the team qualifying round, gymnasts compete with their national squad. The scores from the session are used to determine which teams advance to the team finals and which individual gymnasts advance to the all-around and event finals. The current format of this session is 6-5-4, meaning that there are six gymnasts on the team, five compete, and four of the scores count. In the team finals gymnasts compete with their national squad on all four/six apparatus. The scores from the session are used to determine the medalists of the team competition. The current format is 6-3-3, meaning that there are six gymnasts on the team, three compete, and all three scores count.

In the all-around finals the gymnasts are individual competitors and perform on all four/six apparatus. The scores from this session are used to award the all-around medals. Only two gymnasts from each country may advance to the all-around finals. In the event finals, the top eight gymnasts on each event compete for medals. Only two gymnasts from each country may advance to each event final.

The FIG imposes a minimum age limit on gymnasts competing in international meets. Currently, gymnasts must be at least sixteen years of age, or turning sixteen within the calendar year to compete in senior-level events.

The term junior refers to any gymnast who competes at a world-class, but is too young to be classified as a senior. Juniors are judged under the same Code of Points as the seniors, and often exhibit the same level of difficulty in their routines.