ABSTRACT
Women’s artistic gymnastics (WAG) stands in stark contrast to many other sports through the prominence of the women’s form of the sport. As the Introduction describes, the sport is unique in having a number of female champions who have captured public and media interest far more than men’s gymnasts. Through providing an overview of each section of the book, the Introduction outlines how, in order to do justice to the full complexity of the sport, it is necessary to understand its history and development, the stories of the gymnasts themselves, the vulnerability of the coach-athlete relationship, and the role of the wider actors involved in the sport. It is argued that WAG has developed a problematic culture, but that there are signs of this improving with more gymnasts speaking out and suggestions that there are at least some gymnasts who are more empowered than they once were. The role of the fictional story in highlighting the plight of gymnasts is also discussed.
