What were the compulsory routines for the Olympic Games in Helsinki?
At the time, the compulsories changed every two years. So, the compulsory routines in Helsinki were different from those prescribed for the 1950 World Championships in Basel.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, there aren’t videos of the routines on YouTube. But in this post, you can find the drawings and French text for both the men’s and women’s compulsories.

It’s always interesting to see which skills were deemed to be compulsory at a specific moment in time. Here are a few elements that caught my attention.
On the men’s side:
- A jump to support from the side with a ½ circle — not on pommel horse but rather on parallel bars
- A Wende dismount off parallel bars (similar to the women’s vault)
- A straddle cut dismount off rings
- A headspring and a side scale on floor (the latter may make a comeback in 2025 under the new men’s Code!)
Note: For those who competed in the U.S. class system in the 1990s, you might recognize some of those skills.
On the women’s side:
- The famous “dying swan” position from Swan Lake (also the pose that Odette assumes at the start of the pas de deux) on beam.
- A handstand with a Wende dismount off vault
- Another side landing off uneven bars
Note: Eventually, dismounts and landings with sideways landings would be heavily criticized in women’s gymnastics.
Download
You can download the men’s compulsory routines here:
And the women’s compulsory routines here:
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