How to qualify for artistic gymnastics at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

Artistic gymnastics will be one of the most popular sports at Paris 2024 with the pathway to the Games recently defined by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG).

As with Tokyo 2020, 12 teams will compete in both the men’s and women’s team events, with qualification beginning in October 2022.

Find out the answers to the main questions about the artistic gymnastic qualification process for Paris 2024.

How many athletes will compete in artistic gymnastics at Paris 2024?

In total, 192 artistic gymnasts will compete at Paris 2024: 96 men and 96 women. This is four less in total than Tokyo 2020.

Team events will feature 12 teams of five athletes each in the men’s and women’s events, whereas at Tokyo 2020 teams were composed of four athletes.

For NOCs that don’t win a team quota, a maximum of three individuals per NOC will be able to qualify.

The men will compete on six apparatus with women competing on four.

Male athletes born on or before 31 December 2006 (17 years old at Paris 2024) will be allowed to compete in the men’s event, with female athletes born on or before 31 December 2008 (15 years old at Paris 2024) will be eligible to compete in the women’s competition.

What is the artistic gymnastic qualification pathway to Paris 2024?

As the host country, France are entitled to one quota for both the men’s and women’s competition. There will also be one quota for both men and women allocated to the Universality Place, which will be decided by the Tripartite Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

All other athletes must qualify through different international competitions over the next three years.

Firstly, three teams will qualify at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool, England, which take place between 29 October and 6 November 2022. Nine other teams will qualify through the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, which take place between 1 and 8 October 2023.

Twelve teams, each comprised of five athletes, will qualify through those two competitions for both the men’s and women’s events. Each team qualification will open up five quotas for the individual all-around events, as well as each apparatus. However, not every athlete will compete in all apparatus.

At the 2023 World Championships, the three highest-ranked NOCs that did not earn qualification in the team event will earn one individual quota place for their NOC.

The individual qualification process for athletes who did not qualify through the team process also begins at the 2023 World Championships, where eight athletes will qualify for the men’s event and 14 for the women’s event. These athletes will be eligible to compete on each apparatus.

Apparatus quotas can also be earned at the 2023 World Championships, with the highest-ranked athlete in each apparatus final that did not qualify through previous competitions earning a quota.

The 2024 World Cup Series will also offer two quotas per gender for each apparatus.

The final quotas will be earned at the 2024 Continental Championships in the all-around events. Five athletes of each gender will obtain one quota each.

What is the Paris 2024 artistic gymnastic competition format and schedule?

At Paris 2024, eight events will be held in the men’s competition, while there will be six in the women’s:

Men

• Team
• All-Around
• Floor Exercise
• Pommel Horse
• Rings
• Vault
• Parallel Bars
• Horizontal Bar

Women

• Team
• All-Around
• Vault
• Uneven Bars
• Balance Beam
• Floor Exercise

Each event will be divided into two parts: qualifications and final.

The artistic gymnastics competition will be held from 27 July until 5 August 2024.

READ MORE: The competition schedule for Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been released

Artistic gymnastics to watch at Paris 2024

Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles could not repeat her Rio 2016 heroics at Tokyo 2020 after her well-documented struggles with mental health at the Games, however she did walk away with a silver and bronze medal. Her French coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi announced on a Facebook Watch discussion that Simone Biles is “thinking of Paris 2024”.

French hope Melanie de Jesus dos Santos will also be a one to watch. The 2019 European all-around champion flew to the USA in April to train with Cecile and Laurent Landi, as well as Simone Biles, to prepare for Paris 2024.

The USA’s Sunisa Lee, winner of the Tokyo 2020 all-around title, will also be a strong contender, as will Belgian Nina Derwael, who won the uneven bars title at Tokyo 2020.

READ MORE: Melanie de Jesus dos Santos to train with Simone Biles' coaches Cecile and Laurent Landi

On the men's side, Japan’s Hashimoto Daiki will be a strong favourite having won two gold medals, including the all-around and horizontal bars titles at Tokyo 2020. The 20-year-old, who also won silver in the team event, has shown he is more than capable of leading the Japanese team after the retirement of sporting legend and seven-time Olympic medallist Uchimura Kohei.

Britain’s Max Whitlock, who won a second pommel horse title in as many Olympics at Tokyo 2020, is also well worth keeping an eye on, as is Artem Dolgopyat, who became the first gymnast from Israel to win an Olympic medal when he clinched gold in the Floor exercise.

Artistic gymnastic qualification timeline to Paris 2024

• October - November 2022: Artistic Gymnastics World Championships
• October 2023: Artistic Gymnastics World Championships
• 15 January 2024: Deadline for NOCs to submit their request for Universality Places
• January - March 2024: Apparatus World Cup Series
• April - May 2024 or another date approved by FIG: Continental Championships
• June 2024: After the last Paris 2024 Qualification Event, the FIG shall inform NOCs/NF of their allocated quota places for Paris 2024
• In relation to the end of the qualification period for each sport: The Tripartite Commission to confirm in writing the allocation of the Universality places to the NOCs
• Up until the start of Paris 2024 Technical Meeting for Artistic Gymnastics: FIG to reallocate all unused quota places
• 8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries Deadline.
• 26 July – 11 August 2024: Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Find out more about the qualification systems for other sports that will feature at Paris 2024.