Considered one of the most technical events in the Olympic lineup, artistic gymnastics has various components that add to the final overall score of the participants. While many find it difficult to understand the event structure and the points system, here is a complete breakdown of how the sport operates.
The events that make up a full artistic gymnastics competition
Women
In the women’s category, four events combine to complete the category.
Vault- To perform a vault, a gymnast runs to the vaulting pad and launches off a springboard to vault over the pad by getting extra jump height through their hands. Once in the air, the gymnast performs a flip of their choice before successfully completing a landing. A failed landing renders the vault illegal.
Floor Exercise- Gymnasts take to a specially curated floor with springs underneath the foam to provide extra jump. They then combine a rhythmic routine and pair it up with flips and tricks varying in difficulty levels.
Uneven Bars- The event sees two parallel bars set at different heights. Gymnasts combine strength with a set of skills, jumps, and swings to earn points.
Balance Beam- This is a long and only 4-inch thick beam, raised from the floor using two legs. It requires several mandatory moves in a routine (90-second limit) for it to be legal:-
- A connection of two dance elements – a leap, jump, or hop with a 180-degree split.
- A full turn on one foot.
- At least two acrobatic skills. One of them has to be a Salto (Somersault).
- Acrobatic movements in different directions.
- A dismount.
Men
In the Men’s category, six events add up to make the complete category.
Vault- Same as women’s category.
Floor Exercise- Same as women’s category but without the music and dance elements.
Pommel Horse- Involves a horse torso-shaped apparatus made out of metal with foam rubber and leather covering with plastic handles. A gymnast has to perform skills on all parts of the horse with double-leg workouts being the main staple of the event.
Rings- Involves two still rings hanging freely from a metal frame. A gymnast grabs hold of one ring with their hand and has to complete a routine. The basic requirements of a full routine require:
- One swing to hold the handstand.
- A static strength hold.
- An aerial dismount.
Parallel Bars- Includes two bars, 11 feet in length elevated at least 6 feet in the air for gymnasts to perform. An average performance includes swinging in a support position, a hanging pose, and an upper arm resting pose.
Horizontal Bar- Also known as the ‘High Bar,’ it is a steel bar situated 9 feet above ground level. Various gripping methods play a crucial role in a gymnast’s routine, with each grip allowing for a specific move.
- Overhand grip or Regular grip
- Dorsal grip – overhand grip allowing for a gymnast’s legs to pass through the arms into a ‘skin the cat’ position.
- Reverse grip or Underhand grip – similar to the grip used for chin-ups.
- Elgrip – underhand grip with palms turned 180 degrees outwards.
- Mixed grip – combines Underhand and Overhand grips.
Understanding the points system
The points system of artistic gymnastics is made up of three elements. While two of these elements add to an athlete’s total, the third takes points away, should the need arise.
Difficulty (D-Score) – The difficulty of each attempted trick in a routine adds to the total score of a gymnast and has a letter range to assign the number of points an athlete gets for each flip. The points for each difficulty level are as follows:-
Difficulty Value
A 0.1
B 0.2
C 0.3
D 0.4
E 0.5
F 0.6
G 0.7
H 0.8
I 0.9
Execution (E-Score) – The better the execution of a routine, the higher the execution score out of 10.000.
Penalty- Leaving the legal area, not completing a trick, or not completing a required set of moves leads to a penalty being awarded to a gymnast. The penalty is deducted from the total of D and E scores.
