Gymnastics is defined as exercises for the balanced development of the body, or the competitive sport derived from these exercises. Olympic gymnastics is split into completely different disciplines for men and women. Men compete on pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, vault, horizontal bar, floor exercises, and on the trampoline. Women compete on the balance beam, vault, floor exercises, uneven parallel bars, in rhythmic gymnastics and on the trampoline.

The ancient Greeks (who invented the building called a gymnasium for them) and the Romans practiced gymnastics, but it was not until the 20th century that gymnastics became widespread. Their eventual success came after their adoption for American military training, their placement on the program of the revived Olympic Games in 1896, and the inclusion of physical education in the curriculum of many schools.

Gymnastics for men usually emphasized power and strength, while those for women focused on grace of movement. In 1972, however, Olga Korbut, a 17-year-old gymnast from the Soviet Union, captivated everyone with her innovative and explosive routines. At the Olympics, her diminutive prettiness enthralled the Munich audience, and it was here that she became the first person ever to do a backward somersault off the uneven parallel bars. In all she collected three gold medals, for the balance beam, floor exercise and team events, and a silver medal for the uneven parallel bars. Korbut and her coaches invented two new gymnastic moves, the Korbut Salto and the Korbut Flip. She became a role model for many children all over the world and local gymnastic clubs reported a massive surge of young girls wanting to join.

This was followed in 1976 by Romania's Nadia Comaneci becoming the first gymnast in Olympic history to earn perfect scores. She is regarded by many as one of the greatest athletes in the 20th century and the world's greatest gymnasts of all time. At the tender age of fourteen, in Montreal, Quebec Nadia Comaneci became the star of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Not only did she become the first gymnast at the Olympics Games to receive the perfect score of ten (a feat she managed seven times), she also won three gold medals; for individual all-around, the beam and the uneven bars; a silver medal in the team all-around, and a bronze for floor exercises. Back home in her native Belarus, her success led her to be named a "Hero of Socialist Labor," the youngest Romanian ever to receive that honour.

The popularity of the diminutive, graceful, Korbut and Comaneci not only changed the whole concept of gymnastics but launched a popular gymnastics explosion in the United States that was to provide the basis of competition for the long-established Russian and European programs.

In 1999, Nadia Comaneci became the first athlete to be invited to speak at the United Nations; this was to launch the Year 2000 International Year of Volunteers. Nadia and her husband are editors of the International Gymnast magazine, Nadia is the Vice-Chairperson of the Board Of Directors of International Special Olympics, the Honorary President of Romanian Olympics Committee, the Honorary President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the Ambassador Of Sport Of Romania, a Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and a Member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation. She has also received two Olympic Order awards from the IOC and published her first book, Letters to a Young Gymnast, in December 2003.