Gabby Douglas will not be able to compete for the all-around discipline and fans are unhappy about the same. Douglas, who is aiming for a dream Olympic return after eight years, had high hopes from the Core Hydration Classics. Unfortunately, things did not quite line up according to her expectations.

Accumulating an unsatisfactory score from the judges, Douglas decided to withdraw her name from the competition. Following the dismal results, the latest set of rules was brought to light recently. According to a social media update, Gabby Douglas will not be able to submit a bid to appear for the all-around event in the upcoming Nationals. And fans seemed quite unhappy about the same. 

According to the X update, the gymnastics rule of the Elite Program Chapter 9, point A.1 states that none of the athletes securing points at a Classic will be able to petition. Though pulled out of the competition, Douglas got her marks from the judges. While performing on the bars, the 2012 all-around champion suffered a couple of brutal falls. These led to significant deductions, resulting in Douglas obtaining a meager score of 10.1 on the bars. 

However, even though the outline for Douglas is pretty much set, fans do not seem to be happy about the news. They criticized the rule as “disgusting” and also mentioned that Douglas must be able to petition for the all-around discipline. A recent Reddit post aligned with the sentiment and suggested a change of rules.

The post read, “Go back to 3pc for AA. I’ve actually been sitting on this since Euros. A lot of top gymnasts sat it out, so it wasn’t a deep field, and quals being also AA there made this rule more obvious. But even when there is a separate AA, the competitors past top-24 in quals are not competitive. It’s supposed to be a FINAL showcasing the top talent, but right now I feel like it’s more like Quals Part 2, except with a medal contender or two removed.” 

Earlier, the fans also questioned the functionality of the bars in the Core Hydration Classics. This was because several other top names like Konnor McClain and Kayla DiCello also suffered embarrassing falls. Meanwhile, the fans came up with their theories about the petition rule. 

Fans express discontent over Gabby Douglas AA fiasco

The announcement has led to dissatisfaction among gymnastics enthusiasts. They are advocating for the decision to be reversed. Gabby’s inability to petition for the All-Around (AA) competition led to dissatisfaction among fans. One Reddit user commented, “I couldn’t disagree more on the team take. This is what personally makes gymnastics fun for me- the strategy, the tension, the giving it all for the team spirit you see in some competitors. AA is not nearly as fun for me to watch“.

Another fan added an opinion on the scoring deductions for vault falls. They commented, “I absolutely agree with the deduction for vault falls. As great as the Biles II is, I don’t think it should be able to still get gold if she doesn’t land on her feet…“ This opinion reflects a broader discussion about fairness and consistency in gymnastics scoring, especially in light of Douglas’s situation.

A fan argued that team and all-around finals are more popular and patriotic than individual event finals. Opposing the decision of Gabby Douglas being excluded they shared an opinion. “Strongly disagree on the team take– just judging by public interest, team final and AA final are the most watched and highly attended (much more than event finals) and in the context of the Olympics, team finals are the most “representing the country” rather than the athlete representing themselves. Imo the team atmosphere and the strategy involved makes it the most interesting and exciting of all!“, wrote the fan.

“Team finals are my favourite part of every comp!! And they definitely get the most hype alongside AA finals. I’m pretty neutral on 2pc rules to be honest- I think they should stay for EFs but I don’t mind about AA“, commented another user. They highlighted that Douglas is not being able to compete in the all-around finals due to two-per-country rules. While another fan commented on the same line, “Abolishing 3-pc was the dumbest thing gymnastics ever did.”

Following the rejection of Gabby’s petition for an anti-assault measure (AA) in the sport fans are demanding reintroduction of a few rules. To enhance safety and reduce physical strain on athletes one user shared, “Bring back the corner rule and lunge rule. Make the sport safer and easier on the athlete’s bodies.“

With fans calling for changes to ensure fair competition and athlete safety, the debate leads to widespread discussion. Such a controversy also highlights the growing discontent with current regulations in the sport. But what would be the ultimate outcome? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.