Flying rings

Records from Princeton University indicate one of its students, H. G. Otis, won the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships in flying rings in 1902.

In America, the event persisted on a regular basis in both NCAA and AAU gymnastic competitions until the early 1960s, when those governing bodies eliminated the flying rings in future meets in an effort to correlate apparatus and performances with those in the modern Olympic Games.

Another reason flying rings was removed from intercollegiate competitions is the dangerous nature of the event, with the gymnast soaring to a height of 15 feet or so at each end of a swing.

In the 1948 Olympic women's artistic team all-around, there was a compulsory flying rings routine.

No nets or other safety devices, apart from standard gym mats, were used in competition, although, when training, gymnasts frequently used a flying mechanic (a suspended support rig).