# Gymnastics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's rings

The men's rings competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre on 12 and 13 August. It was the seventh appearance of the event. There were 121 competitors from 16 nations, with each nation sending a team of up to 8 gymnasts. The event was won by Karl Frei of Switzerland, with his countryman Michael Reusch earning silver; they were the nation's first medals in the event. Zdeněk Růžička of Czechoslovakia took bronze.

## Background

This was the seventh appearance of the event, which is one of the five apparatus events held every time there were apparatus events at the Summer Olympics (no apparatus events were held in 1900, 1908, 1912, or 1920). Two of the top 10 gymnasts from 1936 returned: sixth-place finisher Michael Reusch of Switzerland and eighth-place finisher (and 1932 competitor) Heikki Savolainen of Finland. No world championship had been held since World War II; Alois Hudec, who did not compete in 1948, was still the reigning world (1938) and Olympic (1936) champion. Reusch had finished second at the 1938 world championship.
Argentina, Cuba, Denmark, and Egypt each made their debut in the men's rings. The United States made its sixth appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the inaugural 1896 Games.

## Competition format

The gymnastics format continued to use the aggregation format. Each nation entered a team of up to eight gymnasts (Cuba and Argentina had only 7; Mexico only 5, with one not starting in the rings; and Austria had one gymnast of its 8 not start in the rings). All entrants in the gymnastics competitions performed both a compulsory exercise and a voluntary exercise for each apparatus, with the scores summed to give a final total. The scores in each of the six apparatus competitions were added together to give individual all-around scores; the top six individual scores on each team were summed to give a team all-around score. No separate finals were contested.
For each exercise, four judges gave scores from 0 to 10 in one-tenth point increments. The top and bottom scores were discarded and the remaining two scores summed to give the exercise total. If the two scores were sufficiently far apart, the judges would "confer" and decide on a score. Thus, exercise scores ranged from 0 to 20, apparatus scores from 0 to 40, individual totals from 0 to 240, and team scores from 0 to 1,440.

## Schedule

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Thursday, 12 August 1948 | 9:00 | Compulsory |
| Friday, 13 August 1948 | 9:00 | Voluntary |

## Results

| Rank | Gymnast | Nation | Compulsory | Voluntary | Total |
| | Karl Frei | Switzerland | 19.8 | 19.8 | 39.6 |
| | Michael Reusch | Switzerland | 19.5 | 19.6 | 39.1 |
| | Zdeněk Růžička | Czechoslovakia | 18.8 | 19.7 | 38.5 |
| 4 | Walter Lehmann | Switzerland | 19.2 | 19.2 | 38.4 |
| 5 | Josef Stalder | Switzerland | 18.8 | 19.5 | 38.3 |
| 5 | Emil Studer | Switzerland | 18.9 | 19.4 | 38.3 |
| 7 | Vladimír Karas | Czechoslovakia | 18.9 | 19.3 | 38.2 |
| 8 | Heikki Savolainen | Finland | 19.0 | 19.1 | 38.1 |
| 9 | László Baranyai | Hungary | 18.7 | 19.2 | 37.9 |
| 9 | Olavi Rove | Finland | 18.8 | 19.1 | 37.9 |
| 11 | Veikko Huhtanen | Finland | 18.7 | 19.1 | 37.8 |
| 11 | Christian Kipfer | Switzerland | 18.8 | 19.0 | 37.8 |
| 11 | Ferenc Pataki | Hungary | 18.9 | 18.9 | 37.8 |
| 14 | André Weingand | France | 18.7 | 18.9 | 37.6 |
| 15 | Elkana Grønne | Denmark | 18.6 | 18.9 | 37.5 |
| 16 | Kalevi Laitinen | Finland | 18.6 | 18.8 | 37.4 |
| 17 | Paavo Aaltonen | Finland | 18.7 | 18.6 | 37.3 |
| 17 | Jey Kugeler | Luxembourg | 18.7 | 18.6 | 37.3 |
| 17 | Aleksanteri Saarvala | Finland | 18.5 | 18.8 | 37.3 |
| 17 | Sulo Salmi | Finland | 18.7 | 18.6 | 37.3 |
| 17 | Leo Sotorník | Czechoslovakia | 18.8 | 18.5 | 37.3 |
| 17 | Lajos Tóth | Hungary | 18.4 | 18.9 | 37.3 |
| 23 | Antoine Schildwein | France | 18.5 | 18.7 | 37.2 |
| 24 | Robert Lucy | Switzerland | 18.3 | 18.7 | 37.0 |
| 25 | Pavel Benetka | Czechoslovakia | 18.0 | 18.9 | 36.9 |
| 25 | Vratislav Petráček | Czechoslovakia | 18.4 | 18.5 | 36.9 |
| 27 | Lajos Sántha | Hungary | 18.6 | 18.2 | 36.8 |
| 27 | Einari Teräsvirta | Finland | 18.4 | 18.4 | 36.8 |
| 29 | Alphonse Anger | France | 18.4 | 18.3 | 36.7 |
| 29 | Ferenc Várkõi | Hungary | 18.9 | 17.8 | 36.7 |
| 31 | Melchior Thalmann | Switzerland | 17.8 | 18.7 | 36.5 |
| 32 | Marcel de Wolf | France | 17.6 | 18.8 | 36.4 |
| 32 | Raymond Dot | France | 18.4 | 18.0 | 36.4 |
| 32 | Jozsef Fekete | Hungary | 17.8 | 18.6 | 36.4 |
| 32 | Miroslav Málek | Czechoslovakia | 17.4 | 19.0 | 36.4 |
| 32 | Ali Zaky | Egypt | 17.7 | 18.7 | 36.4 |
| 37 | Gyözö Mogyorosi | Hungary | 17.6 | 18.7 | 36.3 |
| 38 | Lucien Masset | France | 17.6 | 18.6 | 36.2 |
| 39 | Guido Figone | Italy | 18.3 | 17.8 | 36.1 |
| 40 | Savino Guglielmetti | Italy | 17.7 | 18.3 | 36.0 |
| 40 | Poul Jessen | Denmark | 17.8 | 18.2 | 36.0 |
| 40 | Josy Stoffel | Luxembourg | 17.8 | 18.4 | 36.0 |
| 43 | János Mogyorósi-Klencs | Hungary | 17.65 | 18.2 | 35.85 |
| 44 | René Schroeder | Luxembourg | 17.2 | 18.5 | 35.7 |
| 44 | Ernst Wister | Austria | 17.8 | 17.9 | 35.7 |
| 46 | Gustav Hrubý | Czechoslovakia | 17.0 | 18.5 | 35.5 |
| 47 | Michel Mathiot | France | 17.5 | 17.9 | 35.4 |
| 48 | Freddy Jensen | Denmark | 17.5 | 17.8 | 35.3 |
| 49 | Arnold Thomsen | Denmark | 17.7 | 17.4 | 35.1 |
| 50 | Mohamed Roushdi | Egypt | 16.9 | 18.1 | 35.0 |
| 51 | Ángel Aguiar | Cuba | 16.8 | 18.1 | 34.9 |
| 52 | Konrad Grilc | Yugoslavia | 17.7 | 17.1 | 34.8 |
| 53 | Vilhelm Møller | Denmark | 17.3 | 17.4 | 34.7 |
| 54 | Gunner Olesen | Denmark | 16.7 | 17.9 | 34.6 |
| 54 | Ed Scrobe | United States | 17.8 | 16.8 | 34.6 |
| 56 | Moustafa Abdelal | Egypt | 17.0 | 17.5 | 34.5 |
| 57 | Frank Turner | Great Britain | 17.6 | 16.8 | 34.4 |
| 57 | Quinto Vadi | Italy | 17.6 | 16.8 | 34.4 |
| 59 | Ivica Jelić | Yugoslavia | 16.0 | 18.3 | 34.3 |
| 60 | Domenico Grosso | Italy | 17.0 | 17.2 | 34.2 |
| 60 | Volmer Thomsen | Denmark | 16.4 | 17.8 | 34.2 |
| 62 | Luigi Zanetti | Italy | 16.2 | 17.9 | 34.1 |
| 63 | Karl Bohusch | Austria | 16.4 | 17.5 | 33.9 |
| 63 | Jack Flaherty | Great Britain | 17.4 | 16.5 | 33.9 |
| 63 | Fernando Lecuona | Cuba | 17.1 | 16.8 | 33.9 |
| 66 | Auguste Sirot | France | 17.8 | 15.9 | 33.7 |
| 67 | Stjepan Boltižar | Yugoslavia | 16.9 | 16.6 | 33.5 |
| 67 | Danilo Fioravanti | Italy | 17.3 | 16.2 | 33.5 |
| 69 | Mahmoud Abdel-Aal | Egypt | 16.0 | 17.2 | 33.2 |
| 69 | Roberto Villacián | Cuba | 17.2 | 16.0 | 33.2 |
| 71 | Alec Wales | Great Britain | 16.95 | 16.2 | 33.15 |
| 72 | Egidio Armelloni | Italy | 15.75 | 17.3 | 33.05 |
| 73 | František Wirth | Czechoslovakia | 16.6 | 16.4 | 33.0 |
| 74 | Baldomero Rubiera | Cuba | 16.05 | 16.9 | 32.95 |
| 75 | Vincent D'Autorio | United States | 16.3 | 16.6 | 32.9 |
| 76 | Pierre Schmitz | Luxembourg | 17.0 | 15.7 | 32.7 |
| 77 | Miro Longyka | Yugoslavia | 16.0 | 16.6 | 32.6 |
| 78 | Jos Bernard | Luxembourg | 16.6 | 15.9 | 32.5 |
| 78 | Josip Kujundžić | Yugoslavia | 14.5 | 18.0 | 32.5 |
| 80 | Drago Jelić | Yugoslavia | 15.0 | 17.4 | 32.4 |
| 81 | Polo Welfring | Luxembourg | 17.1 | 15.2 | 32.3 |
| 81 | Georges Wengler | Luxembourg | 16.9 | 15.4 | 32.3 |
| 83 | Pedro Lonchibuco | Argentina | 16.2 | 16.0 | 32.2 |
| 83 | Willi Schreyer | Austria | 16.5 | 15.7 | 32.2 |
| 85 | Rafael Lecuona | Cuba | 16.8 | 15.2 | 32.0 |
| 86 | Hans Sauter | Austria | 16.2 | 15.6 | 31.8 |
| 87 | William Bonsall | United States | 16.05 | 15.7 | 31.75 |
| 88 | Menn Krecke | Luxembourg | 16.8 | 14.6 | 31.4 |
| 89 | Hans Friedrich | Austria | 14.0 | 17.3 | 31.3 |
| 90 | George Weedon | Great Britain | 16.8 | 14.4 | 31.2 |
| 91 | Mohamed Aly | Egypt | 17.3 | 13.7 | 31.0 |
| 91 | Ray Sorensen | United States | 16.8 | 14.2 | 31.0 |
| 93 | Percy May | Great Britain | 14.5 | 16.3 | 30.8 |
| 94 | Ahmed Khalaf Ali | Egypt | 15.0 | 15.7 | 30.7 |
| 95 | Ali El-Hefnawi | Egypt | 15.0 | 15.5 | 30.5 |
| 96 | Frank Cumiskey | United States | 15.5 | 14.8 | 30.3 |
| 97 | Enrique Rapesta | Argentina | 15.75 | 14.5 | 30.25 |
| 98 | Robert Pranz | Austria | 15.5 | 14.3 | 29.8 |
| 99 | Joe Kotys | United States | 15.4 | 14.2 | 29.4 |
| 100 | Ken Buffin | Great Britain | 14.5 | 14.8 | 29.3 |
| 101 | Ettore Perego | Italy | 13.8 | 14.7 | 28.5 |
| 102 | Bill Roetzheim | United States | 14.5 | 13.0 | 27.9 |
| 103 | Jakob Šubelj | Yugoslavia | 12.0 | 15.8 | 27.8 |
| 104 | Ahmed Khalil El-Giddawi | Egypt | 12.0 | 14.4 | 26.4 |
| 105 | Alejandro Díaz | Cuba | 13.0 | 13.2 | 26.2 |
| 106 | Arturo Amos | Argentina | 14.0 | 12.1 | 26.1 |
| 107 | Ivor Vice | Great Britain | 11.5 | 12.1 | 23.6 |
| 108 | Glyn Hopkins | Great Britain | 12.0 | 11.0 | 23.0 |
| 109 | Jorge Soler | Argentina | 10.0 | 12.8 | 22.8 |
| 110 | César Bonoris | Argentina | 10.5 | 12.0 | 22.5 |
| 111 | Karel Janež | Yugoslavia | 9.5 | 12.3 | 21.8 |
| 112 | Raimundo Rey | Cuba | 9.75 | 10.5 | 20.25 |
| 113 | Roberto Núñez | Argentina | 7.5 | 11.5 | 19.0 |
| 114 | Børge Minerth | Denmark | 17.8 | — | 17.8 |
| 115 | Louis Bordo | United States | 16.75 | — | 16.75 |
| 116 | Jorge Castro | Mexico | 6.5 | 8.0 | 14.5 |
| 117 | Gottfried Hermann | Austria | 14.25 | — | 14.25 |
| 118 | Rubén Lira | Mexico | 7.0 | 6.2 | 13.2 |
| 119 | Dario Aguilar | Mexico | 6.0 | 5.4 | 11.4 |
| 120 | Everardo Rios | Mexico | 11.0 | — | 11.0 |
| 121 | Jorge Vidal | Argentina | 8.0 | — | 8.0 |