The pommel horse is 1.15m high and has two handles attached to the apparatus body, set 40 to 45cm apart. Routines make use of the full surface of the apparatus and present a succession of circular and pendulum-type swings, leg circles, scissors movements, and handstands.
Competition format
The Olympic Artistic Gymnastics competition has four phases: qualification, Team final, Individual All-Around final and individual apparatus finals.
All gymnasts compete in the qualifications. The best eight teams then go through to the Team final, where three team members compete on each apparatus. Teams are ranked on their total score.
The best 24 individual gymnasts (maximum two from each country) go through to the Individual All-Around final, where gymnasts compete on all apparatus. The best eight gymnasts on each apparatus (maximum two from each country) go through to the individual apparatus finals.
Each apparatus is judged for difficulty and execution, with the highest scoring athlete the winner.
For further information please refer to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
Find out more about the Artistic Gymnastics competition at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.
