Road to Paris Gets Real: 2024 Olympic Draw and U.S. Athlete Selection Procedures Announced

21 Feb Road to Paris Gets Real: 2024 Olympic Draw and U.S. Athlete Selection Procedures Announced

Posted at 19:48h in 2024 Winter Cup, News & Features, Paris 2024 by Christy Sandmaier 0 Comments

The Road to Paris Has Begun!

The Paris 2024 Artistic Gymnastics team competition draw is out! The World champion USA women and Japanese men will begin their Olympic campaigns on balance beam (Sub. 2) and vault (Sub. 2) respectively. The U.S. men will begin on pommel horse in Sub. 1. See more here!

Ahead of the 2024 Winter Cup in Louisville, USA Gymnastics has released the Athlete Selection Procedures for the U.S. women and men. See below for notes and the complete procedures.

Of Note for the Women:

“They have to be outstanding on those events. I mean, you have to be able to contribute to the team and it’s harder when the team sizes are smaller. I mean, I know we’re back at five, but that’s still not a lot of leeway to have someone on the team who is only strong on one or two and couldn’t go in on the other events. Team is our priority. We want to put our best team forward and then also get as many individual medals as we can.” Chellsie Memmel, Women’s Technical Lead, on the pathway for a specialist to make the 2024 Olympic Team

The 2024 Olympic Team will be comprised of five (5) athletes, who will be selected for the team qualifications (Competition I) line-up.

1.3.1. The top two (2) all-around senior athletes from the combined rank order of two days of competition at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships will automatically qualify to the 2024 Olympic Trials.

1.3.2. In addition to the top two (2) all-around senior athletes from the combined rank order of two days of competition at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, a minimum of ten (10) additional athletes from among the senior competitors at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and petitioned athletes will be invited by the Athlete Selection Committee to the 2024 Olympic Trials, utilizing the Discretionary Selection Criteria as set forth in Section 2.2.

1.3.3. The 2024 Olympic Trials will be used to select team members for the 2024 Olympic Team.

1.3.3.1. The 2024 Olympic Trials will be a two-day competition.

1.3.3.2. The highest scoring all-around athlete from the combined rank order of two days of competition at the 2024 Olympic Trials will automatically qualify to the 2024 Olympic Team.

1.3.3.3. Using the Discretionary Selection Criteria as set forth in Section 2.2, the Athlete Selection Committee will select the additional four (4) members of the 2024 Olympic Team at the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic Trials.

1.3.3.4. The Athlete Selection Committee may also select up to two (2) traveling replacement athletes and an additional two (2) non- traveling replacement athletes using the Discretionary Selection Criteria as set forth in Section 2.2.

1.4. Petition Procedures for the 2024 U.S. Championships and the 2024 Olympic Trials

Notwithstanding the team selection processes outlined in the preceding sections of these Selection Procedures, USA Gymnastics recognizes that extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances may occur which would cause an athlete, otherwise deserving of a spot on the 2024 Olympic Team because of her previous competition results, to be unable to participate in one or more steps in that process. Therefore, an athlete may be petitioned into the 2024 Winter Cup, 2024 American Classic, 2024 U.S. Classic, 2024 U.S. Championships and/or the 2024 Olympic Trials in accordance with the following petition procedures:

1.4.1. Procedures for petitioning into the 2024 Winter Cup, 2024 American Classic, 2024 U.S. Classic, or 2024 U.S. Championships are listed in the Women’s Rules and Policies, which is available online at https://usagym.org/pages/women/pages/rules_policies.html

1.4.2. Petitions into the 2024 Olympic Trials will be considered by the Athlete Selection Committee for any athlete who 1) was a member of the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympic Team or 2022, or 2023 World Championships Team or competed in a National Team assigned international competition during the Current Competitive Year (2023-2024); and 2) who competes at least two apparatus at the 2024 American Classic, 2024 U.S. Classic, or 2024 U.S. Championships.

a. In order to be considered by the Athlete Selection Committee, petitions must be submitted in writing to the Vice President of Women’s Program as soon as practical after the athlete becomes aware of her inability to participate in the process described above, but no later than the conclusion of the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

b. The petition must state the specific injury, illness or extenuating circumstance which prohibited the athlete from participating in the competitive process. In the case of a petition based upon injury or illness, the petition must be accompanied by an examining physician’s statement. The nature and extent of that injury or illness is subject to verification by USA Gymnastics medical staff.

c. Petitions are reviewed by the Athlete Selection Committee based on the following factors:

Medical clearance and return to play timeline
Current or previous National Team status
Strength of previous competition results – the petitioned athlete hasshown past results at domestic Championship events or FIG international events assigned by USAG (within the years 2022-2024) that are competitive with already qualified athletes

1.4.3. Petitions directly on to the 2024 Olympic Team will be considered by the Athlete Selection Committee for any athlete 1) who places 1st or 2nd in the All Around at the conclusion of the 2024 U.S. Championships and 2) whose combined All Around score from the 2024 U.S. Championships places them 1st or 2nd place All Around after 2 days of competition at the 2024 US Olympic Trials. The athlete must be a USA Gymnastics member in good standing, and an active member of the 2023-2024 and/or 2024-2025 Women’s National Team by competing domestically and/or internationally in the current season (2023-2024).

b. The petition must state the specific illness or extenuating circumstance which prohibited the athlete from participating in the competitive process. In the case of a petition based upon illness, the petition must be accompanied by an examining physician’s statement. The nature and extent of that illness is subject to verification by USA Gymnastics medical staff. Injury petitions will not be accepted.

c. For petitions directly on to the 2024 Olympic Games Team, the ASC will consider the Discretionary Criteria listed in Section 2.2 using the athlete’s two (2) most recent competition results from domestic Championship events (Winter Cup, American Classic, U.S. Classic, or U.S. Championships) and assigned FIG international events within the calendar years 2023 and 2024.

Complete Women’s Selection Procedures

Of Note for the Men:

1.2. Tryout Events:

1.2.1. Event names, dates and locations of all trials, competitions, and camps to be used as part of the selection process:

a. 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships – May 30-June 2 in Fort Worth, TX

b. 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – June 27-30 in Minneapolis, MN

1.2.2. Describe how athletes qualify for the events listed in 1.2.1.:

a. Athletes may qualify to the Senior session of the 2024 U.S. Championships through the following methods:

By being named to the Senior National Team (including Senior Development Team) from either of the previous two National Team selection events (2023 U.S. Championships & 2024 Winter Cup).
By being one of the next five (5) ranked athletes in the Men’s Point Program final results at the 2024 Winter Cup, who are not already qualified to U.S. Championships.
Excluding athletes already qualified to the U.S. Championships, the top six (6) ranked athletes in the all-around at the 2024 NCAA Championships will qualify to U.S. Championships provided that they finish within the top 10 all-around at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
By being one of the top three (3) ranked 18 or 19 year old Level 10 JE athletes in the all-around final results from 2024 Men’s Development National Championships.
By Men’s Program Committee approved petition (see 1.4.4.a below).

b. Athletes may qualify to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials through the following methods:

• By being named to the Senior National Team (including Senior Development Team) following the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

• By Men’s Program Committee approved petition (see 1.4.4.b below).

1.3. Step-by-step description of the selection process for these Games(include maximum Team size):

1.3.1. A maximum of five (5) athletes will be named to the Olympic Games Team. Two (2) traveling replacement athletes and up to three (3) non-traveling replacement athletes will also be named. Athletes will be named to the Team and as replacement athletes by the Senior Selection Committee (SSC) from the pool of competitors at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials or any petitioned athletes.

1.3.2. The Senior Selection Committee (SSC) will name the 2024 Olympic Games Team through the following method:

a. Using final results from the 2024 Olympic Team Trials (2 days combined), the top all-around athlete will automatically qualify to the Olympic Team as long as they also place within the top three (3) on at least three (3) of the individual apparatus. The remaining team members and replacement athletes will be determined by the process described in 1.3.2.b. Should the top all-around athlete not place in the top three (3) on at least three (3) different apparatus, then that athlete may be selected through the process in 1.3.2.

b. The remaining Olympic Games team members will be selected by the Senior Selection Committee using the following team-scoring scenarios and discretionary criteria:

• Team-scoring scenarios will be created to determine the highest scoring potential for the team utilizing both a 5-4-3 (Qualifications) and 5-3-3 (Team Final) team competition format. Placings within each of the team-scoring scenarios as well as scoring differential between those scenarios will be evaluated. The SSC will review the top five (5) team-scoring scenarios in each set of final results in prioritized order below. Should an athlete earn the automatic spot on the Olympic Team as described in 1.3.2.a, then only the top five (5) team-scoring scenarios, which include that athlete, will be evaluated from each set:

Set 1 will include the top three (3) scores from the final results for each athlete across four (4) days of competition at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships (2 days combined) and the 2024 Olympic Team Trials (2 days combined).

Set 2 will include all four (4) scores from the final results for each athlete across four (4) days of competition at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships (2 days combined) and the 2024 Olympic Team Trials (2 days combined).

In the event a top five (5) team-scoring scenario in a data set includes a team that is only able to compete three athletes (i.e. the other two athletes do not compete in a particular apparatus) in the Team Preliminary (Qualifications) competition on any apparatus, that team will not be considered and will be removed from team scoring scenario rankings unless they are at least 0.5 better than the next highest team-scoring scenario in that data set. If necessary, remaining scenarios will be ranked without teams that have been removed, to establish the top five (5).

If, once the top five (5) team-scoring scenarios are established for each data set, the top team scoring scenario from each of the data sets listed above are made up of the exact same athletes, then that team will be named as the 2024 Olympic Team.

If, once the top five (5) team-scoring scenarios are established for each data set, the top team-scoring scenario from each of the data sets listed above (which includes different athletes) are separated by more than two (2) points of each other, then the team with the higher total score from those two teams will be named as the 2024 Olympic Team.

If, once the top five (5) team-scoring scenarios are established for each data set, the top team-scoring scenario from each of the data sets listed above (which includes different athletes) are within two (2) points of each other (including ties), then additional Discretionary Criteria will be considered, which includes the following, in no priority order:

Team-scoring scenarios from final results at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials only (2 days combined).
Total Team Difficulty scores from each team-scoring scenario – the top 4 (qualifications) or 3 (team final) D-Scores for each athlete across their competitive events.
Final results from each day of the Selection Events listed in Section 1.2.1, including Difficulty scores, Execution scores, Final scores and overall consistency across the 2024 U.S. Championships and 2024 Olympic Team Trials for each athlete.
Maximizing individual medal potential– the athlete has internationally competitive Difficulty, Execution and Final scores that compare with finalists from previous FIG international events within the years 2021-2024, including but not limited to the following:

▪ World Championships

▪ FIG World Cups & Challenge Cups

▪ Continental Championships

▪ Major Games (Olympic Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, etc.)

International experience– the athlete has demonstrated performance in international competition within the years 2021- 2024, that would prepare them for the Olympic Games.

c. The two (2) traveling replacement athletes and the up to three (3) nontraveling replacement athletes will be determined by the SSC using the criteria listed in 1.3.2.b.

d. The five (5) members of the Olympic Team and all replacement athletes will be named following the end of the Men’s competition at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

1.4.3. Only athletes who meet the following criteria may submit a petition:

a. A petition to enter the Senior session of the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships may be submitted by any age-eligible athlete.

b. A petition to enter the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials may only be submitted by an athlete who is or has been a member of the Senior National Team (including Senior Development Team) in the years 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024.

c. A petition directly on to the 2024 Olympic Games Team may only be submitted by a member of the Olympic or World Championship Team in the years 2021 (includes Tokyo Olympics), 2022, or 2023. In addition, the athlete must have competed in any capacity in at least one day of competition at either of the Selection Events listed in Section 1.2.1.

Complete Men’s Selection Procedures