Gymnastics has witnessed a resurgence in the 21st century, as shown by the packed arena in Liverpool at the recent British Championships.
But with that has come controversies aplenty. So is it time for changes to be made?
The sport has seen a massive growth in popularity, with 34.7 million people tuning in to watch the women’s all-around final at the Paris Olympic Games.
It is one of the few sports that is more popular with women rather than men.
But does the sport still place outdated expectations on its female members?
The origins
While gymnastics can be traced way back to Ancient Greece, the foundations of the sport stem from 1700s Germany.
Johan GutsMuths, a German teacher, published “Gymnastik für die Jugend” in 1793, the first gymnastics handbook.
Here he puts the sport into two categories: a demonstration of strength and a display of beauty.
These categories have since remained in contemporary gymnastics, 232 years on.
The foundation of women’s gymnastics is based on elegance, whereas men’s gymnastics is based on power and strength.
Elegance versus strength
The International Gymnastics Federation describes men’s floor routines as powerful and dynamic, whereas a woman’s routine is focused on self-expression, rather than a routine of set elements.
Women are judged on appearance and personality, as well as ability.
A big talking point within modern gymnastics has been whether music should become a mandatory element of the men’s floor.
While this would be a huge upheaval in the foundations of sport, changes have been made to increase the elegance of the men’s routines.
The FIG made balances a compulsory element for men’s floor, proving difficult for male gymnasts who are used to showcasing their artistry in a more dynamic way.
This was seen for the first time at a major competition during the 2025 British Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool.
Olympic medallist, Sam Oldham, attempted to justify the men’s struggles while commentating on the 2025 British Gymnastics Championships.
He laid the blame on the heavily sprung floors for the men not being able to execute their balances.
Yet this is one of the first skills that a woman is taught in gymnastics, also on a sprung floor.
Attire
Women’s leotards have been at the centre of much debate in recent years.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the German women’s team wore full length unitards rather than the traditional leotard, intended to be a statement “against the sexualisation of gymnastics.”
German Olympic Gymnasts fight against sexualization of women by wearing unitards for the first time. #Olympics #gymnastics #Germany pic.twitter.com/bheo9w7RCl
— aQuoteAday (@aQuoteAday) July 25, 2021
While the German team have continued to wear unitards since the 2020 Olympics, it surprised many that other teams did not implement this change.
Milano Leotards and Quatro Leotards, two of the biggest manufacturers of leotards in the UK, still do not offer unitards for women, instead only providing them for men.
This begs the question whether there is just a lack of demand for unitards or whether gymnastics institutions are still enforcing tradition.
One institution made headlines last year after scrapping ‘archaic rules’ over gymnastics attire.
Gymnastics New Zealand introduced rules allowing female gymnasts to wear leggings and shorts over leotards, as well as scrapping penalties for visible underwear and bra straps during competitions.
Chief Executive of New Zealand Gymnastics Andrea Nelson said changes were needed to ensure that gymnasts felt comfortable and safe.
“The changes we’ve made are around comfort and safety.
“Gymnastics is a tough enough sport without having to stress about incurring a deduction because a judge can see your bra strap.”
FIG rules dictate that competition attire must be of an ‘elegant design’.
Attire violations can cost a gymnast between a 0.30 to 1.00 points deducted.
Call for institutional reform
The safety of gymnasts has never been needed more than it has done in the past few years.
Former US Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar was jailed for a maximum of 125 years in 2018, after sexually abusing more than 260 gymnasts.
His victims included Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas.
Much of Nassar’s abuse took place at the Karolyi Ranch, the former US national team training centre, as well as Michigan State University.
Abuse scandals also came to light in the UK.
The Whyte Review was commissioned after multiple abuse allegations and safeguarding concerns against British Gymnastics emerged in 2020.
It found “systemic” emotional and physical abuse within the organisation.
This had a significant effect on the internal structure of British Gymnastics, including the resignation of the head national coach and former City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club coach Amanda Redding.
Redding, who most notably mentored Olympic medalist Beth Tweddle, temporarily stepped down from the role in 2020, when allegations first emerged, before permanently resigning in 2022.
Olympic gymnasts Rebecca and Ellie Downie publicly spoke out against British Gymnastics in 2020, stating abuse was “ingrained and “normalised”.
Following the publication of the Whyte Review, Rebecca Downie praised the decision: “We’ve finally been heard.”
— Becky Downie MBE (@Bdownie) June 17, 2022
There are still many challenges that remain in the sport.
While policy changes within the sport’s institutions have been created to protect athletes, a significant shift in the foundations of the sport may be needed to protect gymnastics’ legacy and future.
(Featured image by Caitlin Maguire)
