In January of 1961, a group of Soviet gymnasts headed to the United States for an extensive tour of the country. Months later, U.S. gymnasts headed to the Soviet Union for a dual meet in August of 1961. In a show of friendship, U.S. and Soviet gymnasts alternated routines. Rather than having an entire team compete back-to-back, a Soviet gymnast competed on, say, vault, and then an American gymnast competed on vault.
Speaking of vault, one of the main stories was a three-way tie for the women’s vault title, which produced a rather cramped podium.

photo: Pravda, August 25, 1961
In this post, you’ll find news coverage and videos of the trip.