Gymnastics is an ancient sport, having been practiced in various forms in Ancient Greece and Rome. However, gymnastics competitions are relatively modern. The modern development of gymnastics began in the mid-19th century in Europe. Gymnastics societies were formed in Germany (Turnvereine) and Bohemia, of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Sokols). Similar societies were formed in France and Switzerland, and then spread generally throughout Europe.

The sport is governed worldwide by theFédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which was founded on 23 July 1881, in Liège, with three founding members: Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. It was originally called the Bureau des Fédérations Européennes de Gymnastique (FEG), and was re-named to FIG in 1921. As of 2024, the organization had 149 member federations.

Modern competitive gymnastics has developed from two systems – the German Turnverein system, emphasizing apparatus work of a formal nature and stressing muscular development, and the Swedish system of free exercises, concerned with developing rhythmic movements.

Gymnastics has been contested at every Olympic Games. The programme has varied widely, but it has been fairly constant since World War II. Nowadays, men first compete in a qualification on six apparatuses – still rings, floor exercises, horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommelled horse, and horse vault. The top competitors in the qualification are eligible for the individual all-around event (maximum of three per nation). The top teams in the qualification also advance to the team all-around event. The top performers in each apparatus in qualifying are then advanced to the individual apparatus finals, now with a maximum of two performers from any nation per event. Women’s competition is similar, except that they compete in only four events – uneven bars, floor exercises, horse vault, and balance beam.

In1984,rhythmic gymnastics for women was added to the Olympic Programme.Trampoline events for men and women were added to the gymnastics programme atSydney 2000. With these new disciplines of gymnastics being contested at the Olympics, the traditional form is now formally termed artistic gymnastics, to distinguish it from the three disciplines together.

At the Olympics, the Soviet Union and its successor republics have been dominant in the women’s events. Romania has also had superb female gymnasts, notably the remarkableNadia Comăneci. Men’s gymnastics has been divided almost evenly since World War II by the Japanese and the Soviet Union. Adding men’s and women’s event, theSoviet Union still leads the count as of 2024, with 182 medals and 72 golds, followed by theUnited States (132 medals and 43 golds), andJapan (107 medals and 36 golds).

Because the gymnasts may compete in so many events, many athletes have won multiple Olympic medals. On the men’s side, the gold medal count is led by JapaneseSawao Kato, with eight golds, followed byNikolay Andrianov,Boris Shakhlin, andViktor Chukarin, all with seven golds while representing Soviet Union and one other nation (Russia or Ukraine). The overall medal count is led by Andrianov, with a total of 15 medals, followed by Shakhlin and JapaneseTakashi Ono, both with 13 medals.

In the women’s competition,Larisa Latynina leads the table, with 18 medals and nine golds while representing the Soviet Union and Ukraine. She is followed, both in the overall and gold medal counts, by two gymnasts with 11 medals and seven golds: CzechVěra Čáslavská and USA’sSimone Biles.