Trampoline

Trampolining was invented in 1934 by George Nissen, an American gymnast, after observing circus acrobats bouncing on safety nets. He built the first prototype trampoline to recreate their acrobatics. Initially used as a piece of equipment to train astronauts and athletes training for other acrobatic sports, the trampoline quickly became very popular as a sport in its own right. The first trampoline world championships were organised in London in 1964, and the sport integrated the International Gymnastics Federation 34 years later in 1998.

Brief overview of the rules

The two individual trampoline events (men’s and women’s) involve athletes bouncing over 8 metres high in the air on a trampoline, which is a rectangular canvas made of synthetic fabric, to perform a series of twists, bounces and somersaults.

The bed is attached to a frame with steel springs so that its recoil action propels athletes high into the air. During the competition, athletes perform exercises composed of ten elements, scored according to their difficulty, execution and time spent in the air. The sport is highly technical and requires absolute precision.

Olympic history

Trampoline became an Olympic sport at the Sydney Games in 2000, there the men’s and women’s individual trampoline competitions were added to the other disciplines in the sport of gymnastics.

Since its inclusion in the Olympic Games, China has dominated the sport, winning 14 of the 36 medals awarded, including four of the twelve titles, and enjoys a significant lead in the trampoline medal table. But while China dominates the medal count, Rosie MacLennan (the photo), a canadian athlete, is the first and only trampolinist, male or female, to successfully defend their olympic title (2012 and 2016).

Events in 2024

The trampoline events will both take place on the 2nd of August.

• Individual (women’s / men’s)

Venue in 2024

International organisation

© Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

The pictogram