This was the last Olympics at which only men would compete in gymnastics, with women making their competitive début in 1928 (they had previously done exhibitions). The men contested nine events, with an individual and team all-around and seven apparatus events, including rope climbing, one of the five times that event would be contested at the Olympics. This was the first Olympics since 1904 (and 1906) that individual apparatus events were contested as separate medal events.
As would be true through 1936, Olympic gymnastics in 1924 was contested outdoors, at the Stade Olympique de Colombes, the main Olympic Stadium. No nation dominated the competitions in 1924, with Yugoslavia (led by Leon Štukelj), Italy and Switzerland each winning two events, although Czechoslovakian gymnasts won the most medals, with nine, followed by Switzerland with seven and France with six.