The Code of Points is the rule book determining exactly how each gymnast gets scored and by extension, what skills are the most efficient balance of risk and reward. Here is a quick overview of the major changes in the women’s Code of Points for 2025-28.
Vaults are classified into five different “families” based on entry direction. To qualify for event finals, a gymnast must perform vaults from two different families. In the old code of points, there was also a requirement to have two different post-flight saltos, meaning a gymnast couldn’t, for example, perform a Yurchenko double full and a Tsukahara double full because the flip after the gymnast left the table was exactly the same — a back double full. The new code removes this requirement. Instead, there is a 0.20 bonus for performing vaults with post-fight saltos in different directions. So, a gymnast would get this bonus if they did a handspring front full and a Tsukahara double twist because the flips after the gymnast leaves the table are in different directions. Under the new rules, many gymnasts will likely do a Yurchenko double full and a Tsukahara double full as their two vaults. However, another popular pairing will be a Yurchenko double full and a Lopez (Yurchenko half on Front Layout half). Including the bonus, these two vaults have a similar value as the Yurchenko Double Full and Tsukahara Double Full pairing but leave more room for upgrades through the Lopez.
Bars has several changes, but nothing earth-shattering. Combination formulas remain exactly the same. The biggest change for bars is that release moves with a half turn during flight will be valued the same as those without a turn. Likewise, beam will unfortunately remain almost identical to the last quad. I was hoping that they would roll back the “rebounding connection” requirement for acro so that we could see some more interesting combinations that change direction, but it was not to be.
Floor has several big changes. First, in order to get the dismount bonus (a bonus for performing a D-rated element in the last tumbling pass), routines must now have three or four tumbling passes. This means we will probably not see many two-pass routines anymore, even if the middle pass is just a front handspring front tuck or something equally simple. The other big change is the new combination formulas that earn 0.20 in connection value. In the old code, the combinations that earned the 0.20 bonus were C+E, D+D, and A+A+E indirectly, and A+E and C+D directly. The new formulas for the 0.20 bonus, however, are much easier. To get 0.20 in CV, you only need to connect C+D/E or A+A+E indirectly, and A+E or B/C + D directly. For the C + D/E indirect connection, we will almost certainly see a number of front full step-out through to a double back. Likewise, I’m sure a back 1 ½ step out through to a double back will be extremely popular in the next few years. These are both low-risk, high-reward passes almost any gymnast can tack on to their routines. For the B/C+D direct connection, we will surely see a lot of back 2.5 twist to front layout, or even better, the front layout to front double full to front layout half for a 0.40 bonus.
