Do female gymnists have to use those leather hand grips for the uneven bars?

Question

Watching the olympics, and I've seen all of the girls use them except for Ksenia Semenova of Romania. Is this normal? Why are the hand grips used? Are they required?

Answer 1

It's not required but if you are throwing hard tricks, it is good to use hand grips.  

Answer 2

Q. Have gymnasts always used hand grips?

A. No, and not all gymnasts use them. But as routines have gotten more complex and technology has gotten better, many do use something on their hands, whether it's gauze, tape or leather grips, said Neil Resnick, a gymnastics coach from Boise State.

"Occasionally, there's a bare-handed athlete," he said. "But it's pretty rare. Typically the skills they are doing, the length of the routines demands you have protection on your hands."

Men generally will use grips on the high bar and rings, and sometimes parallel bars, said Resnick. (There are different grips for the apparatuses.) Women wear them on the uneven bars.

Resnick said some of the more recent advances in grips include velcro straps; dowels, a small bar in the grip that helps a gymnast hang on (he used to make his own dowel when he was competing); and finger holes that stop below the first knuckle as opposed to coming down to the webbing of the fingers.

Answer 3

Ksenia Semenova is not from Romania. You should dig more before posting a question.

Answer 4

I suppose they don't HAVE to. But most do because they prevent your hands from getting cuts and blisters. Just more comfortable.