A little of its history
Gymnastics For All (GPT) is, like any other of the disciplines regulated and governed by the International Gymnastics Federation, a structured gymnastics modality that offers a variety of activities and games suitable for all age groups, abilities and cultural backgrounds, which contribute to the health, physical condition and physical, social, intellectual and psychological well-being of all those who practice it. It is the first gymnastic modality that was formally regulated by the FIG since its foundation in 1881, when the interest of gymnastics practice had a focus on education and physical development. Its founder was Nicolas J. Cuperus of Belgium, who believed that gymnastics should be a friendly, non-competitive physical activity.
Gymnastics in this interpretation has always been in force and has a great influence in the school and military systems of many European countries, in addition to being considered a fundamental element in the integral development of the person for its benefits and value contribution.
Its philosophy and approach
Today, the focus of Gymnastics for All programs can be summarized in four concepts:
Physical fitness
If participants acquire a good level of physical fitness, they may eventually continue to develop and practice it.
3.
If the participants acquire a good level of physical fitness, they will easily learn the fundamentals of gymnastics and may be able to advance in their learning and therefore continue to practice it.
4.Friendship.
Participants who have fun, increase their physical fitness and learn good gymnastics fundamentals, in a supportive social environment that encourages the development of friendships among all, will be part of our sport for the rest of their lives.
A modality that has something for everyone
It is important to understand that Gymnastics for All, is the basis for all other gymnastics disciplines and can be practiced by anyone who is attracted by physical movement and wants to form a group that performs in front of an audience, showing their particular gymnastic expression and physical fitness.
The intention is to create choreographed presentations of between 10 and 15 minutes, with more than 10 simultaneous participants, who show mastery of the technical-sports fundamentals of gymnastics and present themselves in aesthetic compositions harmoniously assembled with music and prepared as a show that is pleasing to the eye and attractive in its composition.
Its practice is recommended for all ages, both genders and even for people with different abilities. As gymnastics is so diverse, there is always something for everyone and that is why it is the best base for all sports.
Gymnastics for All can be practiced throughout life and even allows adults and seniors to start practicing it, since everyone is welcome and that is also why we call it “Gymnastics for All”.
Speaking of its content
Gymnastics for All offers aesthetic movement experiences for participants and spectators, while providing the opportunity to focus on issues of particular interest and national and cultural context. It has a very wide range of movements and can comprise or combine with any of the other disciplines promoted by the FIG, the Pan American Gymnastics Union (UPAG), National Federations, sports associations, clubs, coaches and gymnasts.
Your major events
The FIG promotes the realization of 2 basic events as part of its development strategy in Gymnastics for All:
1.- The World Gymnastrada
It is the major world event organized by the FIG in this discipline.
Its main objective is to provide a forum and incentive to the work of Gymnastics For All that takes place around the world, bringing them together in a single major event, non-competitive and with a defined format. It has a massive participation of around 20,000 gymnasts from all the Continental Unions. It is held every 4 years and normally takes place in Europe.
2.- World Gym for Life Challenge
This event was introduced to the Gymnastics for All program in 2009 and is held every four years. It offers a forum for expression to groups of high performance level in a friendly framework, which gives them the opportunity to measure and evaluate themselves, based on the creativity and originality of their presentations.
How is their development and training promoted?
FIG and UPAG promote the following training events:
A.- Gymnastics Fundamentals Course. This course is the basic educational proposal of the FIG Academy, which aims to establish itself as the basis of knowledge for the training of gymnastics specialists.
B.- The FIG Educational Colloquium. Event in which advances in gymnastic knowledge are shared, as well as the discussion of its rules, development programs, frames of reference and many other guidelines that are later integrated as part of the regulations of our sport, seeking its development and penetration.
C.- Course-Workshop: Join the activities of the GPT. It promotes a reciprocal process in which leaders, coaches and participating gymnasts end up merging their differences in a new way of being that unites and integrates, while promoting participation in the various formats of events and courses that the FIG has.
The Pan American Union and its participation in Gymnastics for All.
For the UPAG, the history of participation in non-competitive gymnastics dates back to 1957; incredibly close to its beginning as a modality regulated and structured by the FIG. This is the date when for the first time some countries of our Continent, specifically Canada and Brazil, presented themselves for the first time with groups in Zagreb, Croatia, within the Gymnaestrada.
It is worth mentioning that these two countries, together with the United States of America, have practically been featured in the different Gymnaestrada broadcasts since then and much more frequently since 1969.
In 2001 a first meeting was organized with the support of the FIG, of leaders from different countries of America, with the intention of training in Gymnastics For All and seek to initiate it in many more countries, thus supporting a first foray into the World Gymnastics for All.
In 2003 the UPAG, represented by 9 countries of our Contienente: Canada, United States, Mexico, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil and Chile, was presented in a World Gymnaestrada, making a first joint presentation and achieving a milestone that allowed the development of what has been achieved to date in this modality.
The experience of participation as UPAG in the Gymnaestrada of Lisbon in 2003, allowed the creation of a real network of relations between the countries that joined the initiative and that after this great experience of participation, drew a clear path of development and participation for UPAG during the following years. Since the Gymnaestrada of Dornbirn 2007, the Panamerican Union presents the continental night of UPAG, with more participants in each successive Gymnaestrada.
- A Pan American festival that was held for the first time in Dallas, Texas in 2010, with the support of the Sokol organization.
- Different courses at the level of the National Federations and in collaboration with the FIG.
- Annual National Festivals in several of the active countries; some of them with international invitation.
- National and international educational colloquiums.
