The19th-century Swedish system of free exercises laid the foundation of the gymnastic discipline known as rhythmic gymnastics. It was developed by Peter Henry Ling, who promoted aesthetic gymnastics. Performers of rhythmic gymnastics express their feelings and emotions through their bodily movement. Rhythmic gymnastics took the form of a sporting event in the former Soviet Union. This was the first time that the spirit of sports was combined with the sensuous art of a classical ballet. It was added as an event in the summer Olympic games of 1984.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which single or a team of five competitors manipulate five types of apparatus. The apparatus are balls, clubs, hoop, ribbon, and rope. The winner is the participant who earns the most points, as awarded by a panel of judges. Points are given for leaps, balances, pivots, flexibility, apparatus handling and artistic effect. The judges use a code of points that help in assessing the performance of the participants.
The sport's governing body, FIG or Federation of International Gymnastics, have changed the code of points in recent years to emphasize technical elements and reduce the chances of subjectivity of judgments. Prior to 2001, the judgment was on a scale of 1-10, similar to artistic gymnastics. It was changed to a 30-point scale in 2003, and most recently to 20. There are three values adding up to the final points namely, technical value, artistic value and executive value.
International competitions in the rhythmic gymnastics category are conducted for juniors, girls under 16, seniors and for girls 16 and above. Rhythmic gymnasts typically start training at a very young age, and they reach their peak in their late teens or early twenties. The largest events in the sport are the Olympic games, World Championships, European Championships and the Corbeil-Essonnes Tournament.
Rhythmic gymnastics is essentially a sport for women and girls, but a growing number of men are also participating in the sport. The Japanese's version of men's rhythmic gymnastics includes tumbling and is performed on a spring floor.
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