Overview

“The Universal Exhibition of Sport of Lingiad” was held in Stockholm, Sweden, from July 27 to August 13, 1949. Organized by the Organisation Committee of the Swedish Gymnastics Federation for Lingiad 1949, it was a special exhibition under the 1928 Convention, with the theme "Sport and physical culture." Fourteen countries took part, and the Stockholm Stadium served as its central venue.

Origins and the bid

The event repeated the Lingiad of 1939, a Swedish gymnastics exhibition held to mark the centenary of the death of Pehr Henrik Ling, the founder of Swedish gymnastics. The BIE recognized the 1949 edition as a special exhibition at its 23rd General Assembly on June 13, 1949, only weeks before it opened. Unlike the Olympic Games, the Lingiad was not a competition: it was a gymnastics festival built on collective participation, in the tradition of Ling gymnastics.

Culture and entertainment

The program unfolded in three parts. The World Gymnastic Festival, from July 28 to 31, brought together around 14,000 gymnasts from across the world for collective displays and performances. The World Congress of Physical Culture followed from August 1 to 6, and an International Gymnastic Camp was held in Malmköping from August 7 to 13.

Legacy

The Lingiad's most lasting result was a new international event. During the Expo, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) proposed a regular international gymnastics festival. The FIG approved the idea in 1950, and the first edition was held in Rotterdam in 1953. Known as the World Gymnaestrada, it is still held every four years as a non-competitive festival of "Gymnastics for All."