News Competitors and fans were left with a sensation of wanting more as the Rio 2016 gymnastics test event, the final Olympic qualifier, came to an end on Friday (22 April) An average of 6,000 spectators per day saw some of the world’s best artistic, trampoline and rhythmic gymnasts compete over six days of competition at Rio Olympic Arena, where the final places in the Rio 2016 Games were decided The passionate atmosphere inside the venue that will be used for the Olympic competitions in August was highlighted by the gymnasts and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) as the curtain came down “The fans made me feel strong, and that’s a great thing,” said Belarussian Melitina Staniouta, who won the individual rhythmic gymnastics event “At the end of the day we are not performing for the judges, we are doing it for the fans ”‘I nearly crashed my car when I heard I’d be the first Rio 2016 torchbearer,’ says Eleftherios Petrounias Nicol Ruprecht  won a place in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)Austria’s Nicol Ruprecht, who won bronze and an Olympic slot, also praised the fans “The crowd made me feel really good,” she said “They really supported us and it was a great experience for me to qualify for the Olympics here I can’t even begin to describe it ”With many of the spectators formed by groups from local gymnastics clubs, including many youngsters, the atmosphere was not only of enthusiasm, but appreciation of the finer aspects of the performances “Seeing these incredible gymnasts is something to celebrate,” said Júlia Rodrigues, of the AABB Tijuca club “It’s fantastic to be at such a big event and to get a taste of what the Olympics will be like ” Young gymnastics fans ensured a vibrant atmosphere at the Rio Olympic Arena (Photo: Rio2016/Alex Ferro)The atmosphere also left FIG general secretary André Gueisbuhler pleased “We are very happy that we had such large and enthusiastic crowds,” he said “It shows how popular gymnastics is in Brazil and the competitors appreciated the support, which can inspire extraordinary performances ”Great Britain poised to challenge gymnastics superpowers at Rio 2016The test event also provided the first glimpse of the green competition area that will be used for the Olympic Games “Normally (at international events) we compete on blue but it makes sense to have green in Brazil, because of the country’s flag, and I like it a lot,” said Staniouta Another who approved of the new surface was China’s Li Dan, the reigning women’s trampoline world champion, who competed along with compatriot Gao Lei, the men’s trampoline world champion “It is something different, it’s beautiful, and doesn’t interfere with competition,” said Li  The Brazilians perform in the new green environment (Photo: Rio2016/Alex Ferro)Positive feedbackIn general terms, FIG gave the test event a positive evaluation “It went well”, said Gueisbuhler “The feedback from the athletes  was good, they are all very excited about the Games and happy to have competed in the Olympic venue The volunteers were fantastic and the management of the competition area showed how organisers are determined to do their best in difficult moments ”Rio 2016 sport director Rodrigo Garcia highlighted that the presence of a large number of spectators, which is often not the case at test events, meant the gymnastics competition saw more services offered, with increased demand on the teams providing food and beverages, licensed products, spectator services, ticket control and security “The feedback we have gathered so far has been positive, both in terms of what was successful and what we need to improve,” he said Garcia addressed the problems experienced with power supply, saying: “The incidents were all mapped and it’s important to stress that the lighting and power system that we had was completely different to what we’ll have during the Games While FIG expressed concern at the issue and pointed out where improvements need to be made, the governing body also recognised the efforts made by Rio 2016 “They were alert and did their best during the event,” said Gueisbuhler, adding: “Now they must take appropriate measures to ensure the same problem does not occur during the Games ”Garcia also stressed the importance of spectators using public transport, rather than private cars, to arrive at the Olympic venues  Greece earned an Olympic spot in rhythmic gymnastics (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)Olympic qualificationFIG confirmed that the final places in the rhythmic gymnastics events at the Rio 2016 Games were filled, with Germany, Uzbekistan and Greece taking the final three slots in the team competitions, while eight individual berths were awarded, plus confirmation of Brazil’s Natalia Gaudio and Australia’s Danielle Prince, who didn’t compete at the test event, as Oceania’s representative See the full list of rhythmic gymnastics qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Games The last eight places men’s and women’s trampoline events Rio 2016 were also confirmed by FIG, with New Zealand, Portugal, the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Kazakstan and Brazil qualifying in the men’s competition, while Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Uzbekistan, Germany, Portugal, the USA and France confirmed their spots in the women’s line-up See the full list of trampoline gymnastics qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Games The final places in artistic gymnastics were also decided, with Romania’s failure to qualify for the women’s team event the big shock The full list of men's artistic gymnastics qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Olympic GamesThe full list of women's artistic gymnastics qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Olympic GamesSee all the results from the final Olympic qualifierFind out how to buy tickets for the Rio 2016 GamesFollow the race to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Rio2016 com is not an absolute authority on qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is an ongoing process Final places will only be confirmed in July 2016 (for the Olympic Games) and August 2016 (for the Paralympic Games) The qualification systems are defined by each sport’s respective International Federation and the International Olympic Committee or International Paralympic Committee, and are subject to change When an athlete or team wins a quota place for their nation, the final decision on whether this ‘slot’ is used and which athletes are sent is taken by the respective National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee (NOC or NPC) Even when athletes win a ‘nominal’ place for themselves, NOCs/NPCs may have to decide who to send if the number of qualified athletes from one country exceeds the quota