Almanac Asian Am. Always one of the most popular summer Olympic sports, gymnastics has given us some of our most memorable moments and personalities in recent Olympic history. There is also an all-around competition for each gender. Performances are rated by two panels of judges - one panel consisting of two judges that rate the difficulty of the performance, and the other panel with six judges that rate the athletes' form and technical execution . Belarus, Bulgaria, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States will compete in the men's bracket.
China is the current world champion and the favorite to take home the gold in Sydney.
Russia won the team gold medal in Atlanta in 1996 and also looks strong this year behind Nikolai Kryukov and Alexi Nemov , the current individual world champion in the floor exercise and the pommel horse. The United States isn't favored to win a medal but American Blaine Wilson should make some waves in the all-around competition. The women's side will feature teams from host Australia, Belarus, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States. Romania is the current world champion and appears to be the favorite, but the Americans should pose a stiff challenge, along with the always-talented Russians and Chinese. The United States Olympic Trials take place in Boston in mid August.