Age of Chinese gymnasts investigated

[IntheNet]

Age of Chinese gymnasts investigated
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/21/gymnasts.age/index.html
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors, an IOC spokeswoman said Friday. The committee asked the International Gymnastics Federation to clarify the situation, said spokeswoman Giselle Davis. She said she wouldn't call it a formal investigation. The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Summer Olympics Games. Five members won medals in individual competitions.

IOC Seeks to Settle Furor Over Age of Chinese Gymnasts
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,408541,00.html
BEIJING — With the parents growing indignant and the Beijing Games winding down, the International Olympic Committee wants to "put to rest" persistent questions about the age of China's gold medal women's gymnastics team.

If this IOC investigation is fair, China may be forced to concede some of those gymnastic gold medals. I feel the rules on age of athletes should be enforced; in other Olympic venues of sports the rules are tightly enforced. Giving China a pass on these tiny gymnasts who all look underage would not be fair.

[riverplate]

IOC Says Gymnasts are Age-OK (http://www.nypost.com/seven/08232008/news/worldnews/ioc_says_gymnasts_are_age_ok_125679.htm) - N.Y. Post / AP

A day after launching a probe into whether China's gymnasts are underage, Olympic officials said yesterday "there's no question" they were eligible to compete at the Beijing Games. "The information we received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation," said International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davis.

The paperwork China submitted to the IOC included birth certificates, ID cards and previous and current passports.

[soccernutter]

Bone scans...If Adu is 13 ;), then we need bone scans...

[MNAFETSC]

Im not buying for the simple fact that when I look at the US team and others I feel like your normal pervert, when I look at the chinese team I feel like a certain type of sign should be posted in my front lawn.

[Makandal]

I don't see why the big deal. It seems to me that chinese women usually looks younger than american women of the same age.

[soccernutter]

I don't see why the big deal. It seems to me that chinese women usually looks younger than american women of the same age.

Because one of the top gymnasts (I forget which one) competed in a regional competition in the last 12 months. The regional competition said she was either 13 or 14. This was publised by the NYTimes. I too lazy to look up the actual link.

[CutePuppy]

I fully agree to confiscate as many medals as possible from dirty chinese but why do we need age restriction? A 10-year-old girl beating the crap out of 18 year-old bitches wouldn't be fun to watch?

[The Potter]

There was a 14 year old Romanian gymnast who won a tonne of golds. Forget her name, but now she's the hottest milf your ever likely to see.

[argentine soccer fan]

There was a 14 year old Romanian gymnast who won a tonne of golds. Forget her name, but now she's the hottest milf your ever likely to see.

Nadia Comaneci. And her former coach is that moron commentator on TV who was getting on the Chinese for allegedly training young girls, when he's the main reason why they put the rule in the first place. Talk about a hypocrite.

[Bluto11]

Nadia Comaneci. And her former coach is that moron commentator on TV who was getting on the Chinese for allegedly training young girls, when he's the main reason why they put the rule in the first place. Talk about a hypocrite.
Karolyi? I heard him saying the age restriction is stupid and they shouldn't have one.

[wallacegrommit]

Nadia Comaneci. And her former coach is that moron commentator on TV who was getting on the Chinese for allegedly training young girls, when he's the main reason why they put the rule in the first place. Talk about a hypocrite.
It isn't hypocritical. When Nadia competed it was legal to compete at her age, she wasn't breaking the rules. Today, it is not legal. If in fact the Chinese are flaunting the rules then it is wrong, especially because they are the host country.

[Makandal]

It isn't hypocritical. When Nadia competed it was legal to compete at her age, she wasn't breaking the rules. Today, it is not legal. If in fact the Chinese are flaunting the rules then it is wrong, especially because they are the host country.

Why especially, the rules should apply to everyone. In any case, if as statedin the previous posts he criticized the age rule, and at the same time criticize China, it is hypocritical.

[argentine soccer fan]

It isn't hypocritical. When Nadia competed it was legal to compete at her age, she wasn't breaking the rules. Today, it is not legal. If in fact the Chinese are flaunting the rules then it is wrong, especially because they are the host country.

So it's been alleged, but that is not the point.

The point I was making is this:

Some gymnastic coaches were extremely demanding of very young children and used controversial authoritarian methods in order to get them to perform at the Olympics. Karolyi was the most prominent of those coaches. He was accused of being abusive, both verbally and psychologically, by some of the young athletes he coached.

Coaches like him are one reason why the age limit was established. Plus, he was very adamantly opposed to the age limits.

So, he's hardly the person who should be at the forefront complaining that the Chinese (allegedly) use athletes who are too young.

[wallacegrommit]

So it's been alleged, but that is not the point.
It is the point. The rules are black and white. If you don't follow the rule then anyone can validly criticize you. Attacking Bela is an ad hominem argument that doesn't change the issue whether China did or did not break the rules. If I drank when or where it was legal to drink at age 18 and I advocated against raising the drinking age to 21, it is absolutely not hypocritical for me to say that after the law is changed people should obey the law and not drink underage. The issue isn't whether the gymnasts are too young in an abstract sense, but whether they qualify under exact and precise age requirements. China is guilty or innocent in comparison to an objective standard, not according to Bela's subjective opinion.

Why especially, the rules should apply to everyone.
Because the honor of hosting the games is an opportunity to showcase your country to the rest of the world. All of your actions as hosts are magnified. Since the allegation isn't a fault committed by an individual athlete, but implicates the federation, in an event that is supposed to put China in a good light, it becomes a source of embarrassment.

[Alan S]

... Karolyi was the most prominent of those coaches. He was accused of being abusive, both verbally and psychologically, by some of the young athletes he coached.

Coaches like him are one reason why the age limit was established. Plus, he was very adamantly opposed to the age limits.

Perhaps that is part of the reason, but I also thought an important part is the stress gymnastics puts on the joint and ligaments. With the intensity of training needed for the Olympics many of them end up with chronic injuries later in life. This would be true regardless of the coach.


So, he's hardly the person who should be at the forefront complaining that the Chinese (allegedly) use athletes who are too young.

Karolyi was the only one brave enough to say what was plain to the eye - that many of the Chinese gymnasts under 16. I'd rather have someone speaking the truth and offends than someone politely ignoring the elephant in the room.

[Bluto11]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/gymnastics/7646191.stm

:rolleyes: