Artistic gymnastics

When most people think of gymnastics, they are probably thinking of the artistic gymnastics discipline, which has been a part of the modern Olympics since 1896. Athletes show their skill on equipment called apparatus, including the still rings, uneven bars, high bar, parallel bars, pommel horse and vault (the floor is considered an apparatus too). Olympic Competition

Though artistic gymnastics are very different from sports like football or baseball, there is one thing in common athletes compete for themselves and their team at the same time. Just like a baseball player who hits a home run adds to his own statistics as well as his teams score, a gymnast who does well in one event will help his team advance, as well as raising his own chances to take an individual title. Fourteen gold medals are up for grabs at the Olympics; athletes can earn a medal with their team score, an individual event score or an individual all around score (which combines the scores of all of an athletes events).