Gymnasts are Not Merely Circus Phenomena
Influences on the Development of Women’s Artistic Gymnastics During the 1970s
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12217167 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Georgia Cervin (0000-0002-3679-2500, The University of Western Australia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 16 |
| Pages | 1929-1946 |
| Publication date | 2015-11-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Journal of the History of Sport (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0952-3367 • E-ISSN: 1743-9035 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09523367.2015.1124859 |
| OpenAlex | W2294820479 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Previous studies have discussed how the 1970s saw Women's Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) evolve from its old, balletic traditions into a new, more acrobatic sport. Based on archival sources examined for the first time, this paper takes a broader view of governance in WAG to explore why it developed as it did. Within the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), it identifies improvements to the apparatus and the new difficulty requirements as factors in acrobatization. By contrast, it reveals that the FIG was disappointed with the resulting abundance of younger gymnasts and – foreshadowing current concerns – disturbed by a loss of artistry. But these were not the FIG's most pressing problems, nor was acrobatization the only way the sport developed in this decade. Lack of transparent judging also affected WAG, suggesting score fixing and negotiation. Meanwhile, pressure from the International Olympic Committee also influenced the sport, persuading the FIG to make changes to the number of teams and individuals competing at the Olympics and introduce the 'two per country' rule. These insights show that FIG policies, and indeed changes within WAG itself, were the result of more complex influences than previously imagined
Aesthetics · Art · Sociology · Visual arts · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Gender Studies · Psychology · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2024 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |