The World Gymnaestrada is the largest general

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

exhibition. It is held every four years much like the Olympics. But the focus of this event is not on winning medals. The Gymnaestrada is about Group Performances – some with hundreds or even thousands of participants. Adults and children of every age and description perform. Countries from around the world come together to showcase their talent and the culture of their various countries. The choreography is designed both to challenge the participants and to delight audiences. Routines are performed at various venues within the host country. Large group routines are known as "mass routines" which involve hundreds of gymnasts. The mass routines are often performed in large stadiums where spectators can take in routines performed by gymnasts from all over the world. The World Gymnaestrada is the successor to the two Lingiads that were held in Stockholm in 1939 (100 years after

Pehr Henrik Ling Pehr Henrik Ling (15 November 1776 in Södra Ljunga – 3 May 1839 in Stockholm) pioneered the teaching of physical education in Sweden. Ling is credited as the father of Swedish massage. Early life Ling was born in Södra Ljunga, Småland ...

's death) and 1949. The name ''Gymnaestrada'' is formed from the words ''gymnastik'' (international name for all sports relating to gymnastics), ''estrada'' (stage) and ''strada'' (street). It is believed to have been invented by J H Sommer, chairman of the Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation and Mrs J. v.d.Most-Leyerweert, member of the board of DGF. They submitted their request for an international meet at the 1951 FIG conference. Zurcaroh from season 13 of America's Got Talent represented

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

at WG in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Host cities

World Gymnaestrada 2007

The 13th World Gymnaestrada was held in

Dornbirn Dornbirn () is a city in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative centre for the district of Dornbirn, which also includes the town of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau. Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlb ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...

(

) from 8 to 14 July. Over 22,000 gymnasts from 53 nations participated in the event. The opening- and closing ceremonies in the Birkenwiese Stadium had an audience of 30,000 each. The participants were looked after by about 8,000 volunteers.

World Gymnaestrada 2011

The World Gymnaestrada Lausanne 2011 was held in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, Switzerland, from 10 to 16 July.

The World Gymnaestrada Lausanne 2011 in brief

* 7 days of events * 55 nations * 19,100 participants coming from 5 continents * Average age 30 * Over 600 hours of demonstrations and shows * More than 1,800 productions * 4,300 volunteers a day

World Gymnaestrada 2015

The World Gymnaestrada 2015 was held in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, from 12 to 18 July. It was the largest event ever held in Finland in terms of number of participants, surpassing even the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

in Helsinki.

The World Gymnaestrada Helsinki 2015 in brief

* 7 days of events * 55 nations * 21,000 participants coming from 5 continents * Average age 30 * Over 600 hours of demonstrations and shows * More than 1,800 productions * almost 4,000 volunteers required Logo Weltgymnaestrada 2019 world gymnaestrada 2019 (H2000px)

World Gymnaestrada 2019

The 16th World Gymnaestrada in

(

) took place from 7 to 13 July 2019. It was the second time that this event was held in Dornbirn. The festival brought over 18,000 athletes from 66 federations and hundreds of guests to Vorarlberg, achieving record figures in Vorarlberg's tourism sector.

References

External links

World Gymnaestrada Dornbirn 2007 (Official website)World Gymnaestrada Helsinki 2015 (Official Website)World Gymnaestrada Dornbirn 2019 (Official website)World Gymnaestrada Amsterdam 2023 (Official website)
{{Authority control Gymnastics competitions