Gymnastics as we know it today is a graceful and artistic sport, but the way it looks and

its purpose today is very different from how it began. The word gymnastics comes from the
Greek words “gymnos” and “gymnazo” meaning roughly to train, to exercise naked. It all began
in ancient Greece, where they practiced gymnastics to prepare for war.

Classical Greeks were the ones to developed gymnastics during 500 years BC, its
purpose is to develop muscles for hand to hand combat. Then it exploded in the Hellenistic
period, due to its inclusion in the Greek Olympics it became more than just a military exercise it
is now part of the civilian’s everyday lives. It became part of its culture and is mandatory for all
Greek students. After the 4th Macedonian War in 150 BC, Greece is now under the Roman
Empire. Greek culture is absorbed by Roman society, including gymnastics. Gymnastics was
used by Rome to keep its troops in peak fighting condition. Through its conquest, gymnastic
spread throughout the ancient world from Africa to England. In 393 AD the Emperor Theodosius
abolished the Olympic Games completely. Though gymnastics is still practiced by the Roman
army for the next century. Gymnastic and other Aesthetic sports nearly died out completely due
to the collapse of Rome in 476 AD (Europe’s Dark Age).

The revival of gymnastics during the 16th century (Rennaisance period) due to its health
benefits. Then it took a major advancement in the late 18th and early 19th century. Johann
Christoph Friedrich Gutsmuths, a German teacher and educator, is considered the great
grandfather of gymnastics. He published a textbook “Gymnastics for Youth: or a Practical Guide
to Healthful and Amusing Exercises for the Use of Schools”. A fellow German Friedrich Ludwig
Jahn created exercises for boys and young men on several apparatus. As a result, Friedrich
Jahn became known as the "father of gymnastics". Jahn introduced the horizontal bar, parallel
bars, side horse with pommels, balance beam, ladder, and vaulting horse. This advancement
has led to modern gymnastics. When the Olympic movement was resurrected at Athens in
1896, gymnastics was one of the first sports included. Women weren’t allowed to compete at
Olympic gymnastic events until the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam. US military
brought gymnastics in America to improve hand to hand combat skills. Later on, it became
popular on the citizens as a mental and physical exercise. Which has led to the formation of the
first organized gymnasiums and gymnastics teams in the early 1900s.

In 1908 the establishment of University of the Philippines has led to the Organization of
Athletic programs in the Philippines. Students are required to participate in at least a sport,
decades following the opening of the university, gymnasts along with other student-athletes
were nurtured. The Philippines may not be exceptional in the gymnastics rankings. However,
many young Filipinos train in the United States to represent the country in the Olympics.

Sources: https://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-gymnastics.htm
https://howtoadult.com/550805-the-history-of-philippine-gymnastics.html