The compulsories were routines that were developed and choreographed by the FIG Technical Committee. They were performed on the first day of the team competition. Every single elite gymnast in every FIG member nation performed the same exercises. The dance and tumbling skills of compulsory routines were generally less difficult than those of optionals, but heavily emphasized perfect technique, form and execution. Scoring was exacting with judges taking deductions for even slight deviations from the required choreography. For this reason, many gymnasts and coaches considered compulsories more challenging to execute than optionals.