Portugal Colonial - Smooth apparatus: Guide to gymnastics at Paris Olympics

AFP Sport takes a look at the ins and outs of the artistic gymnastics competition which springs into life at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

The men compete on six apparatus: floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal/high bar.

It's four for women: vault, uneven bars, beam and floor.

The competition at Bercy Arena from Saturday to August 5 is split into four phases: qualifications, team final, all-around final, and apparatus finals.

In this weekend's qualifying, gymnasts compete as part of their country's team or as individuals with results used to qualify gymnasts for the team final, the all-around and the apparatus finals.

Team results are based on the three highest scoring gymnasts on each apparatus.

The eight highest scoring countries secure their tickets to the team final, held over all the apparatus.

The top 24 qualifiers (maximum two per country) face off for the all-around title held over all apparatus again and regarded as gymnastics' blue riband event.

The apparatus finals consist of the eight highest scoring gymnasts on each device (again with a maximum two per country).

The Apparatus

Floor

Identical for both men and women - magic on a 12m x 12m mat, performing inch perfect tumbles across the diagonal with music only for the women.

Pommel horse

The men's equivalent to the women's balance beam - placing the emphasis on core and shoulder strength as only the hands are allowed to touch the foam and leather-clad horse and two handles.

Rings

A 'mere' 5.75m off the ground, gymnasts need a helping hand from their coaches to clasp on to them. A moment of stillness is followed by a demonstration of strength and control like the iron cross: this is when the gymnast holds himself still, with arms outstretched horizontally, legs pointing downward, every sinew straining.

Vault

The supreme test of a gymnast's artistry, ability, athleticism, and bravery - blink and you miss the five or six seconds of high drama. The men's vaulting table is 10cm higher than the women's. Watch out for American superstar Simone Biles, who nailed her spectacular signature Biles II Yurchenko double pike vault in training on Thursday.

Parallel bars

Controlled movements swinging above and below the bars positioned at roughly head height and a shoulder width apart - a glue-like landing is what the beady-eyed judges will be looking for.

Horizontal bar

Or high bar is what is says on the tin - scarily high at around 2.78m off the ground. The solitary metal bar - uneven and parallel bars in contrast are made of fibreglass with a wood coating - is smaller in diameter to parallel bars and triggers gasps from the fans as the gymnast builds up to somersaults above the bar - hopefully to catch hold of it afterwards.

Uneven bars

This apparatus is only for women gymnasts and comprises two bars of different heights and widths to allow the gymnast to seemingly swing from bar to bar. The high bar is 2.5m (8.2ft) off the ground, the low bar 1.7m. Watch out for Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour, who boasts the most complex uneven bar routine as she seeks to become the African continent's first gymnastics Olympic medallist.

Balance Beam

The original concept came from the 'grandfather of gymnastics' - Johann Guts Muth - an early 19th century German physical education professor. Olga Korbut stunned fans at the 1972 Munich Olympics with the first ever backflip. At only 10cm wide it requires pinpoint accuracy and nerves of steel. The rectangular beam provides women gymnasts with a supreme test of balance, tumbling, jumps and leaps, whilst at the same time trying not to hit the deck.

Schedule

Saturday, July 27 - Men's qualification

Sunday, July 28 - Women's qualification

Monday, July 29 - Men's team final

Tuesday, July 30 - Women's team final

Wednesday, July 31 - Men's all-around final

Thursday, August 1 - Women's all-around final

Saturday, August 3 - Men's floor exercise final; Women's vault final; Men's pommel horse final

Sunday, August 4 - Men's rings final; Women's uneven bars final; Men's vault final

Monday, August 5 - Men's parallel bars final; Women's balance beam final; Men's horizontal bar final; Women's floor exercise final

P.Queiroz--PC