Taking place across the entire 2024 Paris Olympics calendar, millions of eyes will be glued to the gymnastics as hundreds of athletes compete across more than a dozen events.
But for those watching one particular event, there is zero chance of seeing one move that was introduced to the public way back in the 1972 Munich Games after it was banned due to the deadly risk it posed to athletes trying to execute it.
The 18 events on the gymnastics calendar give us a look at the likes of the men’s pommel horse, women’s balance beam, and team all-around events for both sexes… even though it seems Team USA’s Simone Biles may have already leaked one of the ‘biggest gymnastics secrets’ ever.
Anyway, there’s one event reserved for the women that has a deadly move that competitors are likely to never perform unless they want to face disqualification.
Team USA’s Simone Biles is considered to be one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. (Sheng Jiapeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The Korbut flip
As the headline suggests, the move in question is called the Korbut flip and named after the woman who invented it way back in 1972.
Olga Korbut competed for the Soviet Union at the summer games, winning four golds and two silvers across the 1972 and 1976 events.
Dubbed the ‘Sparrow from Minsk’, the now 69-year-old Belarusian debuted the spectacular and terrifying move during the even bars, where gymnasts swing from two bars that are at different heights and have different widths.
Debuting the move at the 1972 Munich Olympics, it was quickly given the name of the Dead Loop given how dangerous it was.
What does the Korbut flip consist of?
When debuted by Korbut in 1972, it saw her stand on the higher of the two bars before performing a back flip before grabbing the bar with her hands.
Korbut then moved directly in to the lower bar with her waist, where she did a full inverted loop on the lower bar before leaving it in a backwards motion to grab the higher bar behind her.
Technically, Korbut’s performance was spectacular and gained her a 9.8 score with the judges.
But it was one that was quickly cracked down on by authorities in the world of gymnastics.
Olga Korbut was an incredibly talented gymnast. (Gerry Cranham / Offside via Getty Images)
Banned from gymnastics
The 1980s saw the International Gymnastics Federation ban the move due to the huge perceived risk of injury that athletes faced by performing it.
They said they had to put the welfare and safety of gymnasts first, which many can appreciate after watching footage of the move being performed.
Given the backward movements in grabbing the bars and the inverted roll around the smaller bar, there is risk of head, neck, and spine damage if it goes wrong. This was seen often in training, authorities said, with the risk-reward balance essentially not worth it.
