How does a trampoline competition work?
A · Advanced · Mistakes and the competition · 1 of 2In rounds. Every gymnast performs two exercises in the first qualification and the better one counts. At large events a second qualification of one exercise follows for the top 16 or 24. The best eight reach the final, where each performs one exercise starting from zero. The highest score in the final wins.
How it works
- Qualification 1: all gymnasts, two voluntary exercises. "The highest score of the two exercises" decides who goes on.
- Skipping the second: allowed. It scores zero.
- Qualification 2: held with 32 or more entries. The top 16 go through with 32 to 47 entries, and the top 24 with 48 or more.
- Clean slate: gymnasts "start Q2 with a score of zero".
- Per country: at most three gymnasts in the second qualification and two in the final.
- The final: the top eight, one voluntary exercise, starting from zero.
- Starting order: those ranked fifth to eighth are drawn for places one to four, and the top four for places five to eight.
- The winner: "the gymnast with the highest score in Finals".
- Ties: settled by the FIG's technical regulations.
- Teams: three or four gymnasts. The team score in qualification is the three highest scores, one exercise from each gymnast.
- Team final: three gymnasts, three rounds, with ranking points of 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 for each round.
- Warm-up: one turn of at most 45 seconds on the competition trampoline before each phase.
The glossary has the qualification (trampoline) entry, trampoline gymnastics, the trampoline exercise, the qualification and finals entry and the trampoline scoring entry.
Tricky cases
A gymnast's first exercise is interrupted after three elements. Are they out?
No. The better of the two exercises counts, so a complete second one can still qualify them.
Does a high qualifying score help in the final?
Only with the starting order. Every finalist starts from zero.
A country has three gymnasts in the top eight. Do all three reach the final?
No. A federation may have at most two gymnasts in the final.
How does the Olympic competition run?
That is set by the Olympic qualification and competition rules, which were not read. The code describes FIG events in general.
Why the rule exists
Two attempts in the first round, with the better counting, allows for how easily a trampoline exercise is interrupted: one bad landing need not end a gymnast's competition. Starting each later round from zero means the title goes to whoever performs in the final, not to the best qualifier.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trampoline | One final of eight | FIG TRA 1.3 |
| Tumbling | A second final for the top four | FIG TUM 1.3.2 |
| Tumbling, first qualification | The two exercises are added, not the better taken | FIG TUM 1.2.2 |
| Juniors and age groups | Both qualifying exercises count | FIG TRA 1.1.1 |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, Code of Points 2025-2028, Trampoline Gymnastics, Trampoline, articles 1, 2 and 11. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: 2025-2028 Code of Points, Trampoline Gymnastics (PDF).