Olympic Preview: Artistic Gymnastics

First Olympic Appearance: 1912 (men); 2000 (women)

by Mike Morrison and Mark Zurlo

Always one of the most popular summer Olympic sports, gymnastics has given us some of our most memorable moments and personalities in recent Olympic history.

In 1972, Russia's Olga Korbut helped take our minds of the horrors going on in Munich and in Vietnam. In 1976, Romania's Nadia Comaneci recorded the first perfect score in Olympic gymnastics history, then proceeded to record six more for good measure. In 1984, American Mary Lou Retton dazzled us with her smile and spunk, and in 1996, it was the "Magnificent Seven" and Kerri Strug's gutsy vault that ensured the gold for the United States.

Did You Know? The word gymnastics comes from the Greek word gymnos, meaning naked, and referring to the dress code (or lack thereof) of the athletes back in ancient Greece.

So the burning question this year isn't necessarily, "Which country will win the gold?" but rather, "Which gymnast will become the "darling" of the [Sydney] Olympics?"

While rhythmic gymnastics are performed with an apparatus (ropes, hoops, balls, etc.), artistic gymnastics are performed on an apparatus. Men compete in six different events - floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bars, while women compete in four - floor, balance beam, vault, and uneven bars. There is also an all-around competition for each gender.

Performances are rated by two panels of judges - one panel consisting of two judges that rate the difficulty of the performance, and the other panel with six judges that rate the athletes' form and technical execution.

In Beijing, 98 men and 98 women will compete for gold. Athletes earn their way into the field at the September of 2007 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. After the stirring (and controversial) developments of the 2004 Athens Games, the event is sure to be one of the most exciting of the Beijing Games and will be held at the 19,000-seat Beijing National Indoor Stadium, which will also play host to the handball competition.

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