Although Acrobatic Gymnastics is just now gaining visibility in the United States, the sport has been very popular in Russia, Europe and China for more than 70 years. China alone has more than 300,000 acrobats.
The American audience is growing however, and Acrobatic Gymnastics was popular when it premiered as a demonstration sport at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and again in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
The world audience is increasing too, and acrobatics federations all over the world have merged with gymnastics federations in preparation for full Olympic sport recognition shortly. The United States teams
are also winning more and more medals on the world stage, drawing much attention to the sport in our country.
In 2002, the U.S. Elite Mixed Pair from Empire Gymnastics in Riverside, CA kicked the sport to a whole new level in the U.S. when they became the first U.S. group to win an All-Around Gold Medal at the World Championships, which took place that year in Riesa, Germany. In 2004, they successfully defended their title with a Gold Medal win at the World Championships in Lievin, France.
With the recent merger with USAG and the increasing strength of the new U.S. team, Acrobatic
Gymnastics is gaining prestige and new clubs are beginning to pop up all over the country.
History & Background