The 1996 gymnastics competition had introduced the "7–6–5" format, in which each team had 7 members, designated 6 for each apparatus, and had 5 count for team scores. In 2000, this was reduced across the board to a "6–5–4" format; the 2004 competition kept this format.
The gymnastics competition in 1996 introduced a scoring system with three categories: seven athletes on each team, six for each apparatus, and five points for the overall score. This format was later modified in 2000 to reduce it to six athletes per team, five for each apparatus, and four points for the total score; this format remained unchanged through the 2004 competition.