U.S. #3068r
32¢ Men’s Gymnastics
1996 Summer Olympics
Issue Date: May 2, 1996
City: Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA
Quantity: 16,207,500
Printed By: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 10.1
Color: Multicolored
Men compete in six different gymnastics events at the Olympics. In order, they are the floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, horse vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bars. During the first two days of competition, all gymnasts complete compulsory and optional exercises in each event. The scores from these events are used to determine the winners of the team competition.
The 36 gymnasts who receive the highest individual scores advance to the all-around competition, and once again compete in each event. Current Olympic rules state that only three gymnasts from each nation may compete in the all-around finals. The top eight gymnasts from the all-around finals then compete in the single event finals. Since 1984, only two competitors from each country may advance to the single event finals.
Gymnasts start each match with a perfect score of 10.00. Points, or tenths of a point, are taken away for performance flaws such as falls, improper body position, slowness, and stops. For optional routines, difficulty and originality are also graded. Four judges and one head judge score each match. The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the remaining two averaged for a final. The head judge’s score is only used when there is great disparity in the two remaining scores.