The World Gymnaestrada is the largest general gymnastics exhibition. Much like the Olympics, the event is held every four years. However, the focus of this event is not on winning medals but instead 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'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 at WG in Helsinki.
Host cities EditionDateCityCountryParticipating federationsFédération Internationale de Gymnastique, Book "The story goes on..." 125 years of the FIG 1881–2006, p. 33; FIG Editions, 2006Gymnasts I 15–19 July 1953 Rotterdam 14 5,000 II 10–14 July 1957 Zagreb 16 6,000 III 26–30 July 1961 Stuttgart 16 10,000 IV 20–24 July 1965 Vienna 28 15,600 V 2–6 July 1969 Basel 29 9,600 VI 1–5 July 1975 Berlin 23 10,500 VII 13–17 July 1982 Zürich 23 14,200 VIII 7–11 July 1987 Herning 25 17,300 IX 15–20 July 1991 Amsterdam 28 19,500 X 9–15 July 1995 Berlin 34 19,300 XI 2–10 July 1999 Gothenburg 39 23,500 XII 20–26 July 2003 Lisbon 57 25,000 XIII 8–14 July 2007 Dornbirn 56 21,000 XIV 10–16 July 2011 Lausanne 55 19,100 XV 12–18 July 2015 Helsinki 55 21,000 XVI 7–13 July 2019 Dornbirn 66 18,000 XVII 30 July – 5 August 2023 Amsterdam 56 18,746 XVIII 11–17 July 2027 Lisbon XIX 7–13 July 2031 Las Vegas
World Gymnaestrada 2007
The 13th World Gymnaestrada was held in Dornbirn in Austria 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, 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 Helsinki, Finland, 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 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
World Gymnaestrada 2019
The 16th World Gymnaestrada in Dornbirn in Austria 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.
See also International Gymnastics Federation Mass games Spartakiad (Czechoslovakia)
References
External links World Gymnaestrada Dornbirn 2007 (Official website) World Gymnaestrada Lausanne 2011 (Official website) World Gymnaestrada Helsinki 2015 (Official Website) World Gymnaestrada Dornbirn 2019 (Official website)