Слово "гимнастика" означает "занятия в обнаженном виде".
"ГИМНАСИЙ" (от греч. "gymnos" -- "обнаженный"). "У греков гимнасии были прежде всего помещениями для физического воспитания (гимнастики), где упражнялись в обнаженном виде. Здесь имелся просторный двор, окруженный колонными залами, залами для занятий с бассейнами..."
"gymnastics" "This actually means `nude activities'. The Greek word `gymnos' means naked. For instance, there is a term `gymnosperm' in botany which means `naked seed'. Originally `gymnastics' was physical exercise done naked, and the term was therefore accurate. For instance, the olympics were originally nude, but that was just because all `gymnastics' were done nude at that time, as were many other activities such as public bathing and war. The name `gymnasium' was given to a building or place where nude activities (i.e. physical exercise) took place. Public nudity was fully accepted in Ancient Rome, as proved by the Pompeii evidence. It was only the victory of the ascetic, pleasure-hating christians (such as Augustin) over the non-ascetic christians in about the 3rd and 4th centuries which gradually led to gymnastics no longer being nude, especially in northern Europe. (This is analogous to the end of public eroticism in India following the Mogul invasion.) Eventually true nude gymnastics were forgotten about, apart from the name itself. Oddly, the German word for high school is `Gymnasium', which seems to imply that high school study is done in the nude. In fact, Plato's `Republic' states that at high school age, students should do large amounts of `gymnastics', presumably nude. Nowadays nude physical exercise is no longer the predominant activity in high schools, but it would have been a principal activity in earlier times. The word `gymnophobia' means a strong fear reaction to nudity, although `phobia' properly refers to irrational fear rather than disapproval or antagonism. The word `gymnophilia' means a strong desire for nudity. (See free body culture.) However, the strong irrational reaction of some people towards nudity could indeed be correctly characterized as a phobia in the clinical psychological sense, intentionally inculcated by parents in some societies."
Это дало вполне обоснованный повод активистам NuWD предложить Международному Олимпийскому Комитету веруться к проведению Олимпийских игр в обнаженном виде. (См. статью.)
Интересный сайт по гимнастике находится на Gymnastics Directory (gymnastics related news, books and web resources).
В последнее время очень популярны становятся занятия гимнатикой и аэробикой без одежды.
