The final score for each team was determined by combining all of the scores earned by the team on each apparatus during the compulsory and optional rounds. If all six gymnasts on a team performed a routine on a single apparatus during compulsories or optionals, only the five highest scores on that apparatus counted toward the team total. The United States women's team was penalized five-tenths of a point from their team score by the
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) after the compulsory round. East German judge
Ellen Berger noticed that
Rhonda Faehn, who was the American team alternate and not competing, had been standing on the
uneven bars podium for the duration of
Kelly Garrison-Steve's compulsory uneven bars routine. Although Faehn was not a coach, Berger assessed the penalty under a rule prohibiting coaches from remaining on the podium while an athlete competes. The deduction caused the United States to fall to fourth place with a combined score of 390.575, three-tenths of a point behind East Germany. This incident remains controversial in the sport of gymnastics, as the United States outperformed the East German team and would have taken the bronze medal in the team competition had they not been penalized. == References ==