Expect Americans to cry foul if their competitors, in this case Chinese gymnasts, turn out to be under-aged. Why are there age limits anyway? If British diver Tom Daley can compete at age 14 [with Western media cheering him on], why can’t the Chinese gymnasts — who may or may not be of the same age as Tom — compete in the Olympics as well?
I say, remove the silly age limits. If an athlete can compete with the rest of them despite their age, then let them compete.
From USA Today: Two female Chinese gymnasts, including a gold medal favorite, might be too young to participate in the Beijing Olympics.
Several online records and reports show He Kexin, the host nation’s top competitor on uneven bars, and Jiang Yuyuan might not be 16, the minimum age for eligibility. Both were chosen for the team last week.
On the website of the Chengdu Sports Bureau — Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China — a file dated January 2006 shows He Kexin as being born Jan. 1, 1994.
Most recently, a May 23 story in the China Daily newspaper, the official English-language paper of the Chinese government, had He’s age as 14.
The New York Times raised questions about the athletes’ ages in a story Saturday. And Chinese officials provided the newspaper with copies of passports indicating both gymnasts are 16.
The Times reported International Gymnastics Federation officials acknowledged questions about He’s age had been raised. “We heard these rumors, and we immediately wrote to the Chinese gymnastics federation,” Andre Gueisbuhler, the secretary general of the international federation, told the newspaper. “They immediately sent a copy of the passport, showing the age, and everything is OK. That’s all we can check.”
Well I’m kind of glad that the Chinese gymnasts get to compete. But the USA does have a reason to complain.
The US has some talented under age Juniors that they might want to use if the age rules were different. Although their most talented one is injured now, and there other one is inonconsitent on bars, so maybe not. Lots of other nations have talented Juniors too. Although I don’t think anyone would be able to match the talent of this young Chinese team.
I do agree on principle that the age rules suck.
People push young athletes much too hard. They don’t get a normal childhood and the burn out rate is appalling. Gymnastics is about the worst in this regard, as the training regime is brutal. The age rules are designed to protect these children. And remember that the Chinese kids are not doing it for fun, they have been scientifically selected to be used to bolster the fascist regime in China through sport.