We’ve talked about the changing of the Code of Points in 2006. Recently, I was re-watching the 2005 World Championships and I found it fascinating to watch the perfect 10 scoring system being used for the last time at worlds. There were many scores that fans did not understand at those worlds.

Many fans assume that the Code stayed the same from 2001-2005 and in many ways it did. But there were some changes made to the scoring system in 2005.

The most dramatic change applies to all the apparatuses except for vault. Start values started from a base score of 8.800 from 2001-2004 if all the basic element groups were fulfilled. In 2005, the FIG changed it to 8.600, making it more challenging for gymnasts to reach the 10 start value. Not many gymnasts were able to reach a 10 start value. If they did, most of them were on an apparatus that they were specialists on.

There are some exceptions to the lower scores we saw. Most scores from gymnasts were between 9.200 and 8.500. At the 2005 U.S National Championships, the highest score was a surprising and well deserved 9.900 from Alicia Sacramone on floor exercise and for the men, Sean Golden scored a 9.725 on the vault. This would be the last 9.900 the sport would see, even in the execution scores of the new Code. At the 2005 European Championships, Catalina Ponor scored a 9.737 on balance beam and Krisztian Berki scored a 9.775 on the pommel horse. At the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Cheng Fei scored a 9.725 on vault and Xiao Qin scored a 9.850 on the pommel horse.

Another change came on women’s vault. The Luconi style of vaulting, or a round off onto the springboard and full twisting back handspring onto the vaulting table, was devalued greatly in all forms. The most popular was in the piked position which from 2001-2004 was valued out of a 9.700. It was devalued to a 9.500 in 2005. All other forms of the vault were also devalued.

The 2005 World Championships is truly history. Many fans may look at it as just another worlds. But it was the last time the sport of gymnastics at that level was in its original form. It was the last time we saw the possibility of the perfect 10. It may return someday, but for right now, we must accept the way the sport is today. 

Alicia Sacramone scoring the last 9.900 in the old Code era. 

Xiao Qin on the pommel horse at the 2005 World Championships.