The FIG Men's Technical Committee is considering reducing the number of counting skills from 10 to eight.
The number of skills required in a Men’s Artistic Gymnastics routine may shrink from 10 to eight after the 2016 Olympic Games, FIG Men's Technical Committee President Steve Butcher (USA) has confirmed.
Difficulty scores in Men’s Gymnastics are currently calculated based on the 10 most difficult skills shown in an exercise. But opponents have long questioned whether requiring 10 skills makes routines too hard for male gymnasts, saying the 10-element rule has turned events like Floor Exercise into a sprint as gymnasts rush to pack in skills and boost their D-score.
"Regarding safety of the gymnasts, this potential change would reduce every exercise by 20 percent. This could result in fewer overuse injuries,” Butcher said. “Improving the safety of the gymnasts is always my primary concern. Reducing the amount of elements also brings the D-scores of the top gymnasts even closer, requiring even better execution in order to reach the finals and award podium."
The Women's Technical Committee (WTC) based difficulty scores on 10 elements during the 2005-2008 quadrennial, but came to the conclusion that requiring 10 skills put too much pressure on female gymnasts to throw big difficulty. It also compromised execution and artistry, said WTC President Nellie Kim. The WTC reduced the number of elements to eight beginning in 2009.
“Gymnasts need less time to improve eight elements than they do 10,” Kim said. “Therefore, the impact on the joints and body is less…plus on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise they have more time for dance.” The WTC has not seen more ties due to having fewer elements in a routine, either: “The best still wins, whether we’re counting eight or 10 elements,” Kim said.
The MTC is expected to make its decision regarding the number of elements for the next Olympic cycle during its September meeting in Krakow (POL). Any definitive change would also need to be approved by the FIG Executive Committee, however.
