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An Exploratory Study Of The Development Of Perceived Body Image In Elite Female Artistic Gymnasts In One Central Programme, Michelle A. Saliba

Theses : Honours

Women's elite gymnastics is characterised by subjective and aesthetic judgement and together with increasing technical requirements imposes strict body composition and body image requirements throughout the international gymnastic community. Limited research has been conducted on the younger, smaller, leaner and almost prepubescent gymnasts who now dominate the International arena. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the way in which current and retired elite, female artistic gymnasts perceive their own and the "ideal" gymnast's body image, and to identify factors influencing the development of these perceptions. Nineteen subjects were drawn from one Australian women's artistic gymnastics …