At each Olympic Games, new sports are added to the list of competitions. One new sport to debut in Sydney, Australia, is trampolining. What is trampolining, and why is it just now being recognized as an international sport?

Trampolines got their name from a circus acrobat named Du Trampolin, who lived in the 1800s. He saw that trapeze safety nets could be turned into an independent propulsion device for stunts. Acrobats began to use the revised nets for performing multiple somersaults over rows of large animals, like horses and elephants.

In the early 1930s, American gymnast George Nissen developed a modern trampoline closely related to the present-day form. The U.S. Air Force and NASA have both used the trampolines in training pilots and astronauts respectively. Physical and occupational therapists have also found that trampolines can help rehabilitate patients with certain disabilities.

Trampolining as a sport began in the United States in the late 1940s. It spread to Europe a few years later. In 1964 the International Trampoline Federation (FIT) was formed with seven founding members. Today there are member federations from 42 countries. Trampolining gradually became less prominent in the United States due to safety concerns and a number of lawsuits filed by injured athletes. At the Sydney Olympics, the sport will be dominated by European and former Soviet Union countries.

Ruth Ravitz, head coach of the Misgav Ha-poal Gymnastics Team in Israel and an international gymnastics competition judge, says, "Trampolining is to gymnastics what diving is to swimming. The athletes are judged on the difficulty, execution, and form of their routines." With its debut at the Sydney Games, trampolining is likely to become a popular sport. The routines are often breathtaking and should play well on television.

The basic rule for trampoline competition is that the gym ceiling must be at least 8 meters (26 feet) high—about three stories high. This height is to accommodate the average Olympic trampolinist, who jumps 6 meters high.

Each routine consists of 10 recognized skills. The routines must include:

• one landing on either the body's front or back side

• a single or double somersault, with at least a 540° (1-1/2 revolutions) twist

• a forward or backward double somersault (twist optional)

• a forward or backward double somersault, with at least one full twist

At the Sydney Games, there will be a men's and a women's individual competition, each with 12 gymnasts. The competitors will perform in both qualifying and final rounds. Each qualifying round consists of compulsory and optional routines. The top eight competitors advance to the final round, which consists of a single optional routine. The women's competition will be held on September 22 and the men's on September 23.