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Jargon buster

Arabesque: A position in which the gymnast will balance on one leg, holding the other leg raised and extended behind the body in a split, preferably at 180 degrees.

All-around: Competitions that feature a variety of different elements (six for men, four for women).

Balance beam: A single beam, 5m long and 10cm wide, used only in women’s competition.

Podium: The raised competition area.

Release: When gymnasts let go of the bar to perform a move before grasping it again.

Salto: A flip or somersault where the gymnast rotates around the axis of their hips.

Vault: The vault is 120cm long and 95cm wide, and is set at a height of 135cm (for men) or 125cm (for women).

Basic rules

Women compete on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor, and the first competition to be contested is the team event, which doubles as the qualification round for the individual and all-around contests.

Scores are given to the gymnasts by a panel of judges who take into account the degree of difficulty and the quality of the execution.

The judges are separated into two groups. One group scores the degree of difficulty of the routine and the other group scores the routines’ execution, artistry and composition.

The top 24 overall gymnasts advance to the all-around final contest while the top eight scorers on each apparatus qualify for the individual apparatus finals.