What happens when a rhythmic gymnast drops the hoop, ball, clubs or ribbon?
B · Beginner · Faults and penalties · 4 of 5An execution penalty that grows with how far she has to go to get it back: the least if she picks it up without travelling, 0.70 after one or two steps and 1.00 after three or more or if it leaves the floor. She may take a spare from the side of the floor only if her own went outside.
How it works
- Without travelling: a large fault, in the column of 0.50 or more.
- One or two steps: "Loss and retrieval of the apparatus after 1-2 steps: 0.70".
- Three or more steps: 1.00.
- Out of the floor: 1.00 whatever the distance, plus a 0.30 line penalty.
- At the very end: a loss with no retrieval costs 1.00.
- What is lost with it: a difficulty being performed when the apparatus is dropped is not valid.
- Spares: two sets of identical apparatus are placed along two sides of the floor for any gymnast to use.
- When a spare is allowed: when her own apparatus has left the floor area, or is broken or unusable. Then there is no extra penalty.
- When it is not: if her own apparatus is still on the floor, using a spare costs 0.50 and the loss is penalised at 1.00.
- Handed back: if a coach or anyone else returns the lost apparatus, 0.50.
- Broken: no penalty for the break itself, "only for the consequences". She may not start again.
- Tidy up: an apparatus she has replaced must be off the floor before the end, or 0.30.
The glossary has the hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon entry, the execution entry, the apparatus, the neutral deduction and the exercise.
Tricky cases
A gymnast fumbles the ball, it touches the floor and she has it back at once without moving. Is that a drop?
It depends on the moment. If the apparatus touches the floor at the same time as she touches it and she "immediately gains control", it is not a loss, though a penalty for an incorrect catch may apply. Otherwise it is a loss retrieved without travelling, a large fault.
Both clubs are dropped one after the other. Is that two penalties?
No. The judge penalises once, by the number of steps to retrieve the farther club.
Her ribbon stick breaks. Can she start again?
No. She may remove it and continue with a spare without penalty, or stop, in which case the exercise is judged as interrupted.
Her hoop rolls out and she takes a spare. Then the hoop rolls back in. What must she do?
Get one of the two off the floor before the end. If the unused one stays there, she loses 0.30.
Why the rule exists
A drop is the clearest error in the sport, so its price is fixed and steep. It rises with the disruption it causes. The spare apparatus means a ball that rolls into the crowd does not end the exercise. Limiting spares to that case stops a gymnast taking the nearest one to save a few steps.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lost on the floor | Penalty by steps: 0.70 or 1.00 | FIG RG Part 1, D 5 |
| Lost outside the floor | 1.00 plus 0.30 for the line | FIG RG Part 1, D 5; A 7.3 |
| Two clubs out over two different lines | Two line penalties | FIG RG Part 1, A 7.4.3 |
| Caught in the ceiling | No penalty for it, and a spare may be used | FIG RG Part 1, A 9.4.3; A 9.4.4 |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, Code of Points 2025-2028, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Part 1: section A, articles 7 to 9; section D, article 5. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: 2025-2028 Code of Points, Rhythmic Gymnastics (PDF).