Code of Points for Rhythmic Gymnastics

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo courtesy of Patrick Tower. Will this FIG cycle be Irina Tchachtchina's turn to be in the spotlight?

Non-verbal voice is allowed. This means that one shouldn't hear words or sounds that requires a clear conscious move of the lips and tongue, regardless of language. This opens up a lot of music that wasn't previously possible. The length of the routine is the same.

Yes, instead of having just individual elements of A and B worth 0.1 and 0.3 repectively, the 2001 Code of Points have individual elements valued between A to J translating to 0.1 to 1.0 points. For combinations, instead of being valued as a difficulty C or D, the combinations can combine three elements and can have a maximum value of 1.0. A senior routine can now have a theoretical maximum of 10 points in technical value.

A certain degree of back and limb flexibilility is a must for rhythmic gymnastics. However, if you look at the leaps and jumps, you will see that all the switching and turning requires strength and quickness, not just flexibilities. For a gymnast like Teodora who can really spin, she will be rewarded for her extra pivots. For someone who is good in apparatus and balances, she can really wow the crowd with their extraordinary control of both balance and apparatus. I believe you will see routines which are more dynamic and have more varieties.

There used to be only a 0.1 point for originality in the previous code - it is given based on very subjective opinion. With the 2001 Code of Points, there is a full 1.0 point for originality. There is an actual process for applying for scores under this category. For example, for original technical elements - it has to be pre-submitted and approved by FIG. The "original" element will be yours to keep for the entire cycle.

In the area of Mastery of apparatus in the previous version of the code, there is only a 0.1 point for mastery of apparatus. At a world class competition, it is almost impossible to make any separation of the top 10 gymnasts through this bonus point. With the 2001 Code of Points, the degree of risk and difficulty in handling of the apparatus is actually counted to get score in this area. For example, a throw and re-throw from behind the back, different catches without the use of hands and other risks are awarded 0.1 or 0.2 points each.

The intention as you might have guessed is to quantify/measure the routine performed as much as is humanly possible without killing artistry.

While a lot of the code is left intact, the gymnast will get a much bigger penalty for obvious major errors. As an example, in the old code, a drop is 0.1 points if 0-1 steps are required to retrieve the apparatus, 0.2 with 2-3 steps and 0.3 with more than 3 steps. In the 2001 Code of Points, it is 0.1 only if the gymnast drops and the apparatus bounces back into the gymnast's hand. It is a 0.3 points deduction if the gymnast retrieves the apparatus from the ground with and/or with 1-2 steps. It will be a 0.5 deduction if large travelling (greater than 2 steps) is required.

In the previous code, the display score is derived from dividing the calulated total score by two. Under the 2001 Code of Points, the final calculated score will not be divided by three. There are more than one reason why this has been decided, one may be that dividing by 3 causes unnecessary rounding problems. Furthermore, it makes it easier for the audience to understand the relationship between the final score relative to the deductions.