The Paris Olympic program for rhythmic gymnastics consists of two events: individual all-around and group. There is a qualification and a final phase to each competition.

Individual Qualification:  In the qualification round of the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around event, all 24 athletes - in an order determined by a random draw - perform four exercises, one each with the hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. The 24 athletes are then ranked based on their total scores, derived from adding the scores attained for each apparatus. After all tie-breaking rules have been applied, the 10 gymnasts with the highest scores (including those tied for 10th place) advance to the all-around final. 

Individual Final: The individual final is held the day after the qualification round. Scores do not carry over. The order of gymnasts for the final is determined by a random draw. All 10 finalists again perform four routines with each of the apparatuses, and the gymnast with the highest total score wins the gold medal. Silver and bronze go to the gymnasts with the second- and third-highest scores, respectively. 

Group Qualification: In group qualifying, each of the 14 groups performs two routines, one with all five gymnasts using the same apparatus (a hoop) and the other using two apparatuses (three ribbons and two balls). The teams are ranked based on total points. The order of performances will be determined by a drawing of lots. The eight highest-ranked groups qualify for the final. 

Group Final: The group final is held the day after qualifying. Scores do not carry over. In the final, each group again performs two routines to achieve a total score (maximum of 40.0 points). The highest-scoring group in the final wins gold, and the second and third-highest ranking groups get silver and bronze. 

How many athletes qualify for Olympic rhythmic gymnastics?

In total, 94 rhythmic gymnasts will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics - 24 individual athletes and 14 groups (five athletes per group). 

How long is an Olympic rhythmic gymnastics routine?

Individual routines are all 75-90 seconds long, while group routines are 2:15 – 2:30 minutes long.

How do athletes qualify for Olympic rhythmic gymnastics?

In total, 24 quotas are awarded for the individual all-around competition, which includes one spot for the host country and one Universality spot. Quota spots are awarded to 14 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for the group all-around competition. 

Quota spots were awarded through the following competitions: 

• 2022 World Championships: Three individual athletes and three groups
• 2023 World Championships: 14 individual athletes and five groups 
• 2024 Continental Championships: Five individual athletes and five groups 
• Host Country: One individual athlete and one group was awarded to France
• Universality Spot: One individual athlete (must have competed at the 2023 World Championships) will earn a spot through the IOC Tripartite Commission.

How is Olympic rhythmic gymnastics judged?

The judging panel consists of three groups of judges: D-panel (difficulty), A-panel (artistry), E-panel (execution). 

A panel with four judges determines the difficulty (D) score. They evaluate the routine's technical value, including body difficulty (jumps, leaps, balances), apparatus mastery and originality, dynamic elements (throws and rotations of apparatuses) and dance step combinations. The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the middle two scores are averaged. The maximum D score is 10.0 points.

The A-panel is comprised of four judges who evaluate artistry and take deductions. An athlete’s lowest and highest A-scores are dropped, with the remaining two scores averaged to determine an athlete’s final A-score. The sum of the deductions are subtracted from 10 to determine a final A-score.

The E-panel is comprised of four judges who evaluate the technical faults and take deductions. The highest and the lowest scores are dropped, and the remaining two scores are averaged to give the final E-score, which is also out of a maximum of 10 points.

A gymnast’s final score for each exercise is calculated by adding the D, A, and E-scores together. The scores of each exercise are then added together to determine the overall all-around and group competition champions.

Scores reset to zero after qualifications and are not cumulative across the two days. There is also a time judge and two line judges. The time judge determines the timing of the routine and whether an athlete goes too long. The line judges watch the boundary of the floor to determine if an apparatus or gymnast ever crosses the line, which incurs a deduction