Assessment criteria

The performances are assessed by judge commissions responsible for the single apparata. The judges evaluate three main components in art gymnastics, i. e., the prsence of obligatory elements, the technical performance, and the artistic value. Their scores are presented to an arbiter who defines the final score. Since 1997, the highest individual score is 20 but the highest ensemble one is 40. The groups of judges are located around the gym terrain which is 12 to 12 m in size. When leaving the contours of the terrain as well as when dropping an apparatus and uninstrumenting the obligatory elements, the score is reduced according to the number of gymnast's steps. Commonly, the score is reduced by 0,1 with small errors but by 0,2-0,4 - with more essential errors. The time duration of the performances is also assessed. The individual exercises are 1 min and 30 sec long while the group exercises are 2 min and 30 sec long. The synchrone between the gymnastic movements and music represents a very important parameter of the exercise evaluation. Most often, the score expected by competitors and trainers differs from that of the judges. The absent exact measurements enhance the subjective nature and determine false final results. That is why our motto sounds like that: "Play for the audience - its evaluation is the most precise one!" The continuous diminution of competitors' age represents a typical peculiarity of art gymnastics. In the 50s, they were between 18 and 30 years old. Nowadays, the girls cease their sports career at the age of 20-22 years only. This necessitates the definition by the International Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics of new age groups and corresponding exercises and elements for each of these groups.