The Hungarian Gymnastics Federation was established in 1885, barely four years after the foundation of the International Gymnastics Federation, and became part of the FIG in 1898, but was excluded from the organisation for a few years after World War I. Since its foundation, the Federation has been expanded by numerous disciplines: acrobatic gymnastics (1949), rhythmic gymnastics (1954), aerobic gymnastics (1991), gymnastics for all (1997) and trampoline (2002). At present 114 sections and clubs with approximately 2,600 gymnasts operate in Hungary in the sport’s seven disciplines. Hungarian gymnasts made their first major international appearance at the Athens Olympics in 1896. Since then, gymnasts from Hungary have won 14 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals in artistic gymnastics at the world’s largest sporting event. Since the first official FIG artistic gymnastics world championship in Luxembourg in 1930, Hungarian gymnastics have played a decisive role in the international gymnastics scene. In Hungary three artistic gymnastics (1934, 1983, 2002) and three rhythmic gymnastics world championships (1963, 1996, 2003) have been held. Besides these, many other world events have been staged in Hungary such as the FIG congress (1934), the FIG symposium (1983, 2005), the FIG training symposium (1999), Training Academy (2005), World Cup (2008, 2009) and Grand Prix (2009). Hungarians have also played an influential role in the life of the European Gymnastics Federation, founded in 1982. Successful artistic (1992, 2005), rhythmic (1999) and aerobic (2003, 2007) gymnastics European championships have been held in Hungary. Source: tornasport.hu In the upper part of the stamp commemorating the 125th anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian Gymnastics Federation there is a gymnast performing a typical movement during a routine on the pommel horse with outlines creating an impression of the whole series of movements. Below this are seven pictograms of all the disciplines of men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics (floor exercise, vault, rings, parallel bars, high bar, beam and asymmetric bars).
