Wonderful footage of the pioneers of gymnastics! This is actually at the 1936 Olympics (note the women's hairstyles) which were performed outdoors. The 1952 Olympics were performed indoor.
The Helsinki games had an open stadium too I'm pretty sure. Also the trees are wrong for Berlin in some of these pictures, I know the stadium, it doesn't look like that. I didn't spot any Reichsadlers and the women's gymnastics seem a little advanced for 1936. Not saying you're definitely wrong, footage could have been mixed up, but I don't see it. There at the end I finally spotted one. That part wasn't from 1952 for sure.
It's great to see this when modern male fitness seems to be dominated by body builders fixated on mass as opposed to practicality...really makes me regret not carrying on gymnastics from when I was a kid lol.
Absolutely, you didn't see a whole lot of eagles holding swastikas on uniforms in 1952. 😁 (Wow, this comment I'm replying to was posted in 2007. I wonder if they'll see it.)
"MCMLII" (1952) it says at the end of the clip; but, yeah, that is footage Riefenstahl's team shot at the Berlin Games in '36. It's interesting because much of what is seen here didn't make into the final production of her 1938 documentary "Olympia". It would be nice if an effort was made to collect much of this "cutting floor" footage which could be edited-in to make an unabridged version of Olympia. (...Couldn't be called a 'director's cut' because she's dead now.)
1936 Olympic footage. I realize this was uploaded nearly 20 years ago, but hopefully whomever originally created this account still has access and can perhaps change the title and description?
I think this is actually from Olympia by Leni Riefenstahl, notice the guys chest at 9:14, that can't be from -52 :D These were the times when finns rocked in gymnastics, they even once took tripple victory on pommel horse if i remember right.
Heavens, just see the difference with today, just 50 years! The men appear to be more advanced in those days than the women. I can't believe what that lady is doing on the uneven bars in the first 5 minutes. Just compare it with a modern day chick. Don't they all seem relatively old to you too? Ah, the handstands with bend backs.. Such a no go now. thanks for posting this!
Iwax64: At the time this was posted it was 76 years as this was the Olympics hosted by Nazi Germany. In the early 70s female gymnasts were on their way to the hard tricks. Olga Korbut was a big motivator for that with her back summersault and re-grab off the high bar. Elena Mukhina started the trend toward decorative leotards instead of just team colors and stripes like what track and field have.
This IS a good video, but: only in THOSE days would you hear a GUY saying men are more graceful than women! Even back then, the men were wearing those dumb long pants! And women gymnasts were wearing shoes? (rolling my eyes) I always proudly did gymnastix in shorts & bare feet (because shoes & sox cause falls)! Thank God for exciting, beautiful, MODERN gymnastix!
Is it only me, that I have a feeling those pictures are choosen with a sexual reference??? I dont have this looking at modern gymnastics, where it looks like normal sport.
