Gymnastics at a glance

Rhythmic was first seen at the 1984 Olympics and is contested by women only. A new code of points will be used in Beijing. The old 10.0 system was abolished following several judging controversies at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Now an accumulative points system, modelled on the format introduced in figure skating, is used with gymnasts being rewarded for more daring routines.

Women perform choreographed movements of gymnastics and dance to music using five different hand apparatus: rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. The competition includes two categories: individual and team. Competitors perform to music on a 13-metre square floor.

24 individual and 12 teams of 6 athletes

Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium