Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)

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The Code of Points is a document that regulates scoring of artistic gymnastics. It is published by the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG).

Traditionally, the Code has been updated at the end of every Olympic cycle. Major revisions are made to reflect changing trends in the sport, devalue or delete skills from the Table of Elements, add new skills that have been submitted by gymnasts and change rules as necessary. Minor changes to the Code have often been made following World Championships.

The FIG also governs rhythmic gymnastics, Sports aerobics, Trampolining and Sports acrobatics, and designs and publishes separate Codes for these disciplines.

The FIG Code is used to score gymnastics events at the international elite level--for instance, the Olympic Games or the World Championships. Most nations will also use the Code to score domestic competitions at the elite or world-class level, for instance, the National Championships.

Gymnasts competing at the lower levels and/or outside the FIG's jurisdiction--for instance, in NCAA gymnastics or for their local club team--are not scored according to the FIG's Code. Most national gymnastics federations design their own Codes or scoring systems for each level of competition. NCAA Gymnastics also has its own Code of Points.Many, if not most, other Codes still use 10.0 as the maximum score.

1 The New FIG Code
- 1.1 Code 2006 basics
2 The old Code in brief
3 External links

[edit] The New FIG Code

In 2006, the Code of Points and the entire gymnastics scoring system were completely overhauled. The change stems from the judging controversy at 2004 Olympics in Athens, which brought the reliability and objectivity of the scoring system into question; and arguments that execution had been sacrificed for difficulty in artistic gymnastics. It follows a similarly radical scoring change in figure skating that was also prompted by irregularities in judging at major events.

Proponents of the new system believe it is a necessary step for the advancement of gymnastics, promoting difficult skills and more objective judging. Opponents feel that people outside the gymnastics community will not understand the scoring and will lose interest in gymnastics, and that without the emphasis on artistry, the essence of the sport will change. There has also been dissent over the fact that the new Code effectively abolishes the "perfect 10" score, for many years one of the hallmarks of gymnastics.

Since its inception in major events in 2006, the Code has faced strong opposition from many prominent coaches, athletes and judges. [1] [2] The 2006 Report of the FIG's Athletes' Commission, drafted after a review and discussion of the year's events, noted several areas of concern, including numerous inconsistencies in judging and evaluation of skills and routines. [3] There has also been the concern that the new Code strongly favors extreme difficulty over form, execution and consistency. At the 2006 World Championships, for instance, Vanessa Ferrari of Italy was able to controversially win the women's all-around title in spite of a fall on the balance beam, in part by picking up extra points from performing high-difficulty skills on the floor exercise. [4]

However, the leadership of the FIG remains committed to the new Code. While there are plans to revise the Code for 2007, there is currently no indication that it will be significantly altered or that there will be a return to the old Code or 10.0 scoring system.

[edit] Code 2006 basics

As in the old Code, every acrobatic and dance element is assigned a specific difficulty rating. The Super-E classification has been eliminated, and the difficulty ratings now range from A (easiest) to G (most difficult). Gymnasts can still invent original skills and submit them to the FIG for possible inclusion in the Table of Elements.

Two panels of judges score every routine, evaluating different aspects of the performance. The final mark is the combined total of these two scores.

The D-score evaluates the content of the exercise on three criteria, the Difficulty Value, Element Group Requirements and Connection Value.

DV: The nine most difficult elements of the routine, plus the dismount, are added together. For a G skill a gymnast earns .7; for an A, he or she earns .1 points.

EGR: Gymnasts must demonstrate skills from five required Element Groups on each apparatus. A gymnast may use skills to fulfill the DV and the EGR simultaneously. For each EG presented, .5 points are awarded. A maximum score of 2.50 points may be earned here.

CV: Additional points are given for connections of two or more elements.

Although the D judging panel does not take deductions, they may decide not to give gymnasts DV or EGR points for elements that are performed with falls. A gymnast may also lose CV credit if there are extra steps or pauses between skills that are meant to be connected.

The D-score is open-ended; in theory a gymnast could obtain unlimited points by performing connected skills.

The E-score evaluates the performance, ie, the "execution, composition and artistry" of the routine.

The base score is 10.0. Judges do not add to this, but rather, take away points for errors in form, artistry, execution, technique and routine composition. Deductions for falls are included in this mark, and have been raised from .5 to .8. Deductions for small, medium, and large errors have been raised from .1, .2, and .3 to .1, .3, and .5.

The D-score and E-score are added together for the gymnast's final mark.

This judging system applies to all WAG and MAG events except vault. Vault scoring is somewhat different:

Every vault has been assigned a specific points value in the Code. The D-score is simply this value. Every gymnast performing the same vault will receive the same number of points.
The E-score is the most important score on this apparatus. The judges on this panel work from the 10.0 base mark and deduct for form, technique, execution and landing.

The D-score and E-score are added together for the gymnasts's final mark.

There are several acts that completely invalidate the vault and result in a score of 0. These include receiving spotting (assistance) from a coach and not using the U-shaped safety mat for Yurchenko-style vaults.

[edit] The old Code in brief

The old Code worked on the 10.0 scoring system.

Skills: Every acrobatic and dance element was awarded a specific difficulty rating, ranging from A (easiest) to Super E (hardest) in the Table of Elements. Gymnast earned bonus points by performing difficult skills alone or in combination.

Required elements: Routine composition was decided by the gymnast and his or her coaches, however, on every apparatus except vault there was a list of required elements (similar to the EGR in the new Code) that had to be performed during the routine. Examples of required elements included 360 degree turns on balance beam and a backwards salto on floor exercise.

Base score': The base score was the default Start Value of the routine, provided the gymnast fulfilled all required elements. This changed over the years, but was usually about 9.4.

Start Value: The Start Value (SV) of each routine was determined by adding the base score to the bonus points earned from performing difficult elements and combinations. Ideally, a gymnast wanted to have a SV as close to 10.0 as possible.

On vault, every vault was assigned a specific Start Value in the Code.

The score was determined by subtracting any deductions for poor form, execution, steps, falls or other infractions from the SV.