World Gymnaestrada: Bigger Than the Olympics? (with Hayley Silberg)

By numbers, World Gymnaestrada is the biggest gymnastics event on the planet, bigger than the Olympics, bigger than every sport at the Olympics combined. Most gymnastics fans have never heard of it. On this episode of Back to Basics, Mubarak Simmons sits down with Hayley Silberg, founder of CAPTivate Adult Gymnastics, one of Canada's only all-adult gymnastics clubs, with roughly 300 athletes training across multiple provinces. Hayley breaks down what World Gymnaestrada actually is: a non-competitive gymnastics festival held every four years that draws more than 20,000 participants from over 50 countries. No judges. No scores. Just gymnastics for the love of it, with performers ranging from toddlers to athletes in their 90s. We also get into how Hayley built CAPTivate from a single weekly performance team into a full club, why adult gymnastics is one of the fastest-growing corners of the sport, and why she believes it might be one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Plus: World Gymnaestrada is coming to North America for the first time ever. Lisbon, Portugal hosts in 2027, and Las Vegas makes history in 2031 as the first edition held outside Europe. Connect with CAPTivate: Instagram: @captivate.gymnastics Website: captivategymnastics.com Follow GymnasticsVille: Instagram: @gymnasticsville Website: gymnasticsville.com Subscribe to Back to Basics for more conversations with the coaches, athletes, and builders shaping the sport.