About the World Gymnaestrada
The World Gymnaestrada is a world-wide, non-competitive event held every four years, attracting the largest number of active participants of any gymnastic event. Participation is for everybody, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, culture, ability or social standing.
All participants practice to perform their routines at the World Gymnaestrada, but that’s not the only goal. It is more about the whole experience, the festivities and a feeling of belonging. Proudly representing their countries, adds a slight Olympic feeling to the event. Gymnastics from all over the world come together, reunited after several years, reinforcing international friendships, transcending language and culture differences.
Since the very first edition in The Netherlands in 1953, the World Gymnaestrada has travelled around the world and grown into a multicultural gymnastics festival. After 32 years, this celebration is returning to Amsterdam. It is expected to be the best and biggest World Gymnaestrada ever.
World Gymnaestrada is coming home
The very first edition was – unsurprisingly – held in the Netherlands (Rotterdam) in 1953, under the motto ‘Joy of Life in Gymnastics’. The Netherlands (Amsterdam) again hosted the World Gymnaestrada in 1991. Compared to 1953, the number of participating countries had doubled to 28 and the number of participants almost quadrupled to 19,500. In terms of the number of participants, the World Gymnaestrada was the second largest event held in Amsterdam, after the 1928 Olympic Games.
In 2023, exactly 70 years after the first edition of the World Gymnaestrada, Amsterdam again hopes to welcome you to this event. Faithful to the founding principles, but with a fresh and innovative interpretation for a new generation.
