Once upon a time there was a queen of sports called Athletics. Everyone respected her and bowed before her for such an honourable age, as she was born before all her brothers and sisters, in 776 BC, in ancient Greece.
Athletics had many disciplines in running, jumping, and throwing. People loved them very much, engaged in these sports to achieve sporting success or simply to strengthen their bodies.
One day, the younger sister Gymnastics threw a tantrum:
I'm tired of always giving way to the queen, listening to her advice, and respectfully bowing my head before her. So what if she's older! I'm fed up with warming up her athletes and my brothers' and sisters' athletes, they don't let me participate in the Olympic Games. I'm a queen! It's me that everyone does morning exercises with, from young to old! It's me, I'm the main one! I want to rule everyone!
Come to your senses, the queen has great life experience, her mastery is admired by the whole universe, and you are still very young and foolish.
Said her brother Weightlifting.
Ah, so! Then I'll leave sport altogether and take up... farming!
And Gymnastics disappeared from the sports arena. She settled in a field where there were farms.
Hello! I am your new queen, address me as 'Your Majesty - queen of the fields and meadows'!
Declared Gymnastics.
And a new life began in agriculture. Farmers always gladly did morning exercises, warmed up their muscles, charged themselves with energy and got into a working mood. But now the queen demanded their full commitment:
Keep your back straight, point your toes, don't be lazy!
Instructed Gymnastics, turning on rhythmic music.
After an exhausting set of rhythmic gymnastics, it was difficult for the farmers to go to the field to work, from the heavy load their muscles ached all over. And Gymnastics, shouting after them, cried:
You forgot the ribbons, hoops and balls! You need to develop flexibility and agility. Don't be lazy!
And the farmers, so as not to upset the newly-made queen, waved ribbons from the tractor windows and tossed balls into the air, and during breaks spun hoops around their waists, although few managed it.
After three days of such work, the farmers went on strike:
Spare us, Gymnastics, we cannot work like this, it's like a circus! Besides, the grain is ripening in the field, and we don't have time to harvest it.
A circus! Yes, I need to go to the circus!
Exclaimed Gymnastics, not listening to the farmers. She quickly packed and set off to the circus arena.
Hello! I am your new queen! Call me Your Majesty, queen of the ring!
Greeted Gymnastics the circus performers.
RRRR! I'm the king here!
Roared a lion at her.
Hiss-s-s, giving orders-s-s!
Hissed the cobras.
But I like her! She's funny! Let her stay and show what she can do.
Giggled the Clown, bowing to the guest.
Gymnastics was very hurt by such words, but she was not used to giving up:
I'll show you something you've never seen before!
Stamping her foot, cried the offended Gymnastics.
But soon our 'queen' found friends who fell in love with her and gladly engaged in gymnastic exercises. They invented new spectacular tricks that took the spectators' breath away.
Thus circus gymnastics was born: floor exercises on apparatus – bars, trampolines and aerial, suspended high above the ring. The spectators were delighted by the gymnasts soaring in the air, performing acrobatic pieces. And from the rotations on the bars, people just got goosebumps.
Gymnastics made the programme more complex each time, which she called 'Artistic Gymnastics' and 'Rhythmic Gymnastics'. Rhythmic gymnastics included various gymnastic and dance exercises to music with a skipping rope, hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon.
Gymnastics had great success in the circus, everyone admired her, gave her a sea of applause and showered her with flowers. But for some reason, she missed her family and often remembered her brothers and sisters – the summer Olympic sports: Fencing, Boxing, Wrestling, Cycling, Water Sports, Tennis, Weightlifting, and, of course, Athletics.
And the winter Olympic sports: Biathlon, Curling, Bobsleigh, Speed Skating, Skiing, Luge.
I have such a large and friendly family, we always helped and supported each other. How I wish I could go home, but I can't, I did wrong, they won't forgive me.
Gymnastics told her friends.
Meanwhile, in the sports kingdom, athletes forgot about Gymnastics and lost the ability to warm up before training and competition. Their bodies became inflexible, clumsy and awkward. Athletics observed that runners stumbled on level ground, jumps became shorter and athletes threw barely further than their nose.
The same was observed in other sports.
The sports kingdom dimmed, and only the wind played with bright ribbons and whistled mournfully on the deserted gymnastics ground.
This greatly saddened Athletics. She took off her crown and went to her younger sister to ask her to return to the sports kingdom.
The queen searched long for her sister, and only a week later she saw a circus poster where Gymnastics stood out with circus performers.
Hello, Gymnastics. Take my crown, just come back to the sports kingdom, we are lost without you.
Tearfully pleaded Athletics with her sister.
What are you saying, dear sister, I've missed you all so much. I don't need your title. Wandering around, I understood a lot, crowns and titles are not the most important thing in life. It's much more important to have a strong, loving family and reliable friends who understand you without words, support you and are interested in what you do. Only together, helping each other, can we achieve great success. Of course, I will gladly return and, as before, help my brothers and sisters develop strength and flexibility. And my new friends, the circus performers, helped me create an exciting performance programme. Now I, like you, can participate in the Olympic Games, compete in agility and flexibility in artistic and artistic gymnastics.
You've grown up so much, my dear! I'm so happy for you!
Happily answered Athletics, hugging her sister.
