THE BALANCE BEAM AS AN ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS APPARATUS FOR WOMEN: FROM THE ORIGIN TO ITS CONSOLIDATION

• Published in: Science of gymnastics journal Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 269 - 284
• Main Authors: Oliveira, Mauricio Santos, de Souza, Anna Stella Silva, Costa, Andrize Ramires, Nunomura, Myrian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ljubljana University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport 29-06-2023
• Subjects: 19th century; Femininity; Gymnastics; Historical analysis; Olympic games; Society; Women
• ISSN: 1855-7171
• DOI: 10.52165/sgj.15.2.269-284

According to Pfister (1999), the emphasis given by the "father of German gymnastics"1 to military preparation and his patriotic goals kept women away from the open air area designed for gymnastics activities, the turnplatz. Besides these factors, the author alludes that Jahn's proposed activities were considered unsuitable for the "fragile sex". Eitzen (2009) remarks that the society expected women to nurture characteristics, such as kindness, amiability and passivity, which explains why women were guided toward sports that emphasized femininity. [...]women had access to sports as long as they did not lose their grace, delicacy and beauty, which are still characteristics linked to the supposed feminine essence (Goellner, 2007). According to Kerr (2003), during Helsinki Olympic Games, in 1952, the competitive program included the four apparatuses (floor, balance beam, vault, and uneven bars) in individual events, all around and team competition. [...]we believe that the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) considers the period from 1952 to 1964 as the period that marked the entry of gymnastics into the modern era (Huguenin, 1981). According to the author, any event from the past has the potential to be revisited, inspiring and resulting in new researches.