Artistic gymnastics:
Competitive gymnasts perform short routines (ranging from 30 to 90 seconds) on different devices, with less time for the tour (see below). Are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, or fig. The fig designs the code of points and regulates all aspects of the elite international competition. Within countries, gymnastics is regulated by national federations, such as BAGA in Great Britain and the United States gymnastics in the United States.
Format of competition in Olympic or World Championships: at present, the competition is divided in several sessions, which occur on different days: team qualifying, men's team final all-around final and the final of the event.
During the team qualifying (abbreviated TQ), gymnasts compete with the national team in all four (WAG) or six (MAG). The results of this session are not used to award medals, but are used to determine which teams advance to the finals of the team and individual gymnasts advance to the all-around and event finals.The current format of this session is 6-5-4, which means that there are six gymnasts on the team, five compete in each case, and four scores count.
The main competitions: Global
- The Olympic Games: Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular events in the summer Olympic Games, held every four years. Gymnastics qualify for the Olympics based on their performance at the World Championships the year before the games. Nations that may not be high enough to send a full team may qualify to send one or two individual gymnasts.
- World Cup gymnastics: World Championship is only open to teams from all Nations-FIG. The competition has had several formats, depending on the year: full team finals/AA/EF; AA/EF only; EF.
- World Cup gymnastics
- Goodwill Games: artistic gymnastics competition was an event in this now vanished.
- World Games
Useful sites:
www.artisticgymnastics.net
www.fig-gymnastics.com