Gymnastics is one of the oldest sports that is still practiced today with origins that date back to ancient civilisation. In fact, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which was founded in 1881, is the oldest international sports federation in the world. Rhythmic gymnastics, however, is a far newer discipline of the sport, as it evolved from the mass gymnastics popular in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
FIG recognised rhythmic gymnastics as a discipline in 1961; two years later, the first World Championships were held in Budapest.
