Gymnastics – Rhythmic

Sport Overview

Rhythmic Gymnastics at Paris 2024

Venue: Arena Porte de la Chapelle

Competition Dates: August 8-10 (Days 13-15)

Events: 2 (2 women)

Trivia: Test your knowledge! 

Rhythmic gymnastics is the only sport on the Olympic program that is contested exclusively by women.  

In this expressive and artistic sport, gymnasts keep their handheld apparatus in constant motion, maneuvering them with as much variety and speed as possible while performing leaps, jumps, turns, and balances. This includes tossing the apparatus several metres into the air and then catching it after losing sight of it while performing leaps and turns. Routines are performed to music on a carpeted area measuring 13 metres by 13 metres.

There are two events: the individual all-around and the group all-around. Both start with a qualification round, from which the top 10 individuals and top eight groups advance to their respective finals. Scores do not carry over from qualification to finals.

The individual event is comprised of four routines, each using one of four apparatus (ribbon, hoop, ball, clubs). The length of individual routines is 75 to 90 seconds. The scores from all four apparatus are added together to determine the winner.

The group event is comprised of two routines, one with five identical apparatus (five hoops at Paris 2024) and one with a combination of two different apparatus (three ribbons and two balls at Paris 2024). The group routines are two minutes 15 seconds to two minutes 30 seconds, featuring exciting and challenging exchanges and collaborations. The scores from the two routines are added together to determine the winner.

There are three panels of judges. Four D judges evaluate the difficulty of a routine. Two of them are designated as DB judges who focus on the difficulty of body movements. The other two are DA judges who focus on the technical elements performed with the apparatus. DB and DA scores are added together for a final D score.

Four A judges evaluate the artistry of a routine, making deductions for faults. The highest and lowest scores are dropped and the remaining two are averaged for the final A score, which is out of 10.00 points.

Four E judges evaluate the execution of a routine, making deductions for faults. Again, the highest and lowest scores are dropped and the remaining two are averaged for the final E score, which is also out of 10.00 points.

The overall score for a routine is the sum of the D score, A score, and E score.

Canada’s Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics History (Pre-Paris 2024)

Lori Fung became the first and only Canadian to win an Olympic rhythmic gymnastics medal when she claimed gold in the individual all-around in the Olympic debut of the sport at Los Angeles 1984. She upset the favourite, Romania’s Doina Staiculescu, with whom Fung had trained since finishing 23rd at the 1983 World Championships.

Canada competed in the group all-around at London 2012, the only time the country has qualified for the event since it was added to the Olympic program at Atlanta 1996.