| Date | 23 – 24 August 1920 — 15:00 (23 August), 15:00 (24 August) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Olympisch Stadion, Antwerpen | |
| Participants | 118 from 5 countries | |
| Format | Composed of 5 parts: a) exercises with instruments, b) horizontal bar, c) parallel bars, d) pommell horse, and e) hurdle exercise (four hurdles of 70 cm.). On the horizontal bar, parallel bars, and pommell horse, a compulsory and an optional exercise were performed. Maximum score was 404 points. Teams could consist of from 16 to 24 competitors. | |
The European Method team event actually referred to the German style of gymnastics popularized by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn and Adolf Spieß. It is likely that either Germany or Switzerland would have been favored in this event, but Switzerland did not enter a team, and Germany was not allowed to compete at the 1920 Olympic Games. In their absence, Italy won this event quite comfortably.
We have listed Belgium as second and France third, which is how they are listed in multiple sources, including the 1920 report of the Belgian Gymnastics Federation, and which seems to be the standard. However, some sources, including the 1920 Official Report, list France second and Belgium third, but give the same scores for second and third place. It is likely that the 1920 Official Report simply has an error in how they listed these results.
Although teams were to consist of 16-24 competitors, several had more than that. The reasons for this are not known. Until mid-2025, the French team was listed as having 26 competitors. However, excellent research by the French group of Vincent Bouchès, Patrick Boquet-Boitelle, and Jean-Pierre Guilbert showed that the team had only 24 participants, and they also found several new athletes not known previously.
BEL
FRA
ITA
GBR
TCH
DEN
MON