Para-gymnastics, also known as disability gymnastics and para gymnastics, is a discipline of

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

for disabled athletes. It was recognized as an official

Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique The International Gymnastics Federation (French language, French: ''Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique'', abbr. FIG) is the body governing competition in all disciplines of gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It wa ...

(FIG) discipline in October 2024.

History

The

(FIG) maintained a Gymnastics for All committee. In 2018, they expanded the Gymnastics for All program by forming an alliance of gymnastics federations. Countries such as the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

have held team competitions teams of athletes with disabilities, while countries like

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

have held championships for individual competitors. In October 2024, FIG recognized para-gymnastics as an official FIG discipline. FIG defined the discipline as "Competitive Gymnastics performed on different pieces of apparatus for those gymnasts with approved Para classification," and approved it for

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), ...

. As of 2024, para-gymnastics is limited to national competition.

Great Britain

Great Britain had a national para-gymnastics squad, but it disbanded in 2013. In 2016, more than 200 clubs affiliated with

British Gymnastics British Gymnastics (BG) is the sports governing body for gymnastics disciplines in the United Kingdom including Acrobatic Gymnastics, Aerobic Gymnastics, Disability Gymnastics, Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, TeamGym, Tramp ...

officially offered disability gymnastics programs, representing over 1,500 disabled members. In 2020, British Gymnastics officially formed the British Gymnastics Disability Gymnastics Panel. British Gymnastics is working on a FIG Code of Points for Men's and Women's Artistic Para-Gymnastics, and on creating a classification structure, with the goals of hosting the first FIG Para-Gymnastics World Championships in 2027 and

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

inclusion in 2032.

Notable para-gymnasts

* Jen Bricker-Bauer * Alex Buesnel * Carol Johnston * Stacie Ridley * Oli Kettleborough

References

{{Authority control Parasports Gymnastics disciplines