Artistic gymnastics
In 1881, the FIG was founded, and it remains the governing body of international gymnastics. It initially included only three countries and was called the European Gymnastics Federation until 1921, when the first non-European countries joined the federation and it was reorganized into its present form. Gymnastics was included in the program of the 1896 Summer Olympics, but women have been allowed to participate in the Olympics only since 1928. The World Championships, held since 1903, were open only to men until 1934. Since that time, two branches of artistic gymnastics have developed: women's artistic gymnastics (WAG) and men's artistic gymnastics (MAG). Unlike men's and women's branches of many other sports, WAG and MAG differ significantly in apparatus used at major competitions and in techniques.
Pan American Gymnastics Championships
With the development and growth of gymnastics around the world, rhythmic gymnastics became an Olympic event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, which, in turn, helped the sport make its debut at the 1987 Pan American Games. The following year, a tournament for junior artistic gymnastics from the Americas was established (named the Junior Pan American Games), as well as a junior event for rhythmic gymnasts (named the Junior Rhythmic Pan American Championship). Both events were held in Puerto Rico. The junior tournaments paved the way for a competition for senior artistic and rhythmic gymnasts in 1989, named the Pan American Cup.