Wizards Watch Olympic Sports: Gymnastics
I had the opportunity to attend some of the Olympic Games in Paris, and what a delight it was. Muggle sports can be confusing to a wizard audience, so I will do my best to explain the gymnastics events I had the pleasure to witness.
The floor exercises are simple enough to understand. The gymnasts do lots of flipping and tumbling and somersaults, but the floor appears to have been enchanted with some sort of charm to make it particularly bouncy. I have to wonder if some of these athletes have eaten Fizzing Whizzbees before the competition – they soar so high on some moves that they seem to levitate!
Speaking of soaring high, the vault – not to be confused with where you keep your money at Gringotts – is another treat to watch. The gymnasts basically run at a platform, which they bounce off with their hands, and do a series of flips or twists before miraculously landing on their feet (for the most part).
The male gymnasts compete on something called a “pommel horse,” but it is unlike any horse I’ve ever seen. I cannot distinguish a mane nor tail, nor any hooves. Is this perhaps more similar to a Thestral, and the equine form can’t be perceived by everyone? This must be a patient horse indeed to allow the athletes to do handstands all over it.
The female gymnasts sometimes straddle the beam of balance like a broomstick, but they mostly leap and somersault along it. I would be quite impressed to see Quidditch players doing some of these tricks on their broomsticks! There are several different types of bars that the gymnasts swing around and around on in a positively dizzying display, and the men also perform stunts while hanging from two hoops.
I wondered aloud at one point whether any of the athletes had taken a Strengthening Solution, so impressive were their feats, but I was swiftly informed that the use of any potion to enhance strength is strictly forbidden. These Muggle gymnasts demonstrated an almost magical level of agility, skill, and power, and all of the medals were well-earned!
