World Gymnaestrada

The World Gymnaestrada is the largest general gymnastics exhibition. Much like the Olympics, the event is held every four years. However, the focus of this event is not on winning medals but instead Group Performances – some with hundreds or even thousands of participants. Adults and children of every age and description perform. Countries from around the world come together to showcase their talent and the culture of their various countries. The choreography is designed both to challenge the participants and to delight audiences. Routines are performed at various venues within the host country. Large group routines are known as "mass routines" which involve hundreds of gymnasts. The mass routines are often performed in large stadiums where spectators can take in routines performed by gymnasts from all over the world.

The World Gymnaestrada is the successor to the two Lingiads that were held in Stockholm in 1939 (100 years after Pehr Henrik Ling's death) and 1949.

The name Gymnaestrada is formed from the words gymnastik (international name for all sports relating to gymnastics), estrada (stage) and strada (street). It is believed to have been invented by J H Sommer, chairman of the Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation and Mrs J. v.d.Most-Leyerweert, member of the board of DGF. They submitted their request for an international meet at the 1951 FIG conference. Zurcaroh from season 13 of America's Got Talent represented Austria at WG in Helsinki.

World Gymnaestrada 2007
The 13th World Gymnaestrada was held in Dornbirn in Austria from 8 to 14 July. Over 22,000 gymnasts from 53 nations participated in the event. The opening- and closing ceremonies in the Birkenwiese Stadium had an audience of 30,000 each. The participants were looked after by about 8,000 volunteers.

World Gymnaestrada 2011
The World Gymnaestrada Lausanne 2011 was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 10 to 16 July.

The World Gymnaestrada Lausanne 2011 in brief

 * 7 days of events
 * 55 nations
 * 19,100 participants coming from 5 continents
 * Average age 30
 * Over 600 hours of demonstrations and shows
 * More than 1,800 productions
 * 4,300 volunteers a day

World Gymnaestrada 2015
The World Gymnaestrada 2015 was held in Helsinki, Finland, from 12 to 18 July. It was the largest event ever held in Finland in terms of number of participants, surpassing even the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

The World Gymnaestrada Helsinki 2015 in brief

 * 7 days of events
 * 55 nations
 * 21,000 participants coming from 5 continents
 * Average age 30
 * Over 600 hours of demonstrations and shows
 * More than 1,800 productions
 * almost 4,000 volunteers required



World Gymnaestrada 2019
The 16th World Gymnaestrada in Dornbirn in Austria took place from 7 to 13 July 2019. It was the second time that this event was held in Dornbirn. The festival brought over 18,000 athletes from 66 federations and hundreds of guests to Vorarlberg, achieving record figures in Vorarlberg's tourism sector.