Olympics board seeks inquiry into age of Chinese gymnasts

BEIJING: The International Olympic Committee has asked the world governing body for gymnastics to investigate whether members of the Chinese women's team were too young to compete in the Olympics.

The IOC instructed the international gymnastics federation, known as the FIG, to take up the issue Friday with the Chinese gymnastics federation and the Chinese Olympic Committee and report back to the IOC later in the day.

The FIG has asked the Chinese for official documents, including birth certificates, of its entire women's gymnastics team, according to IOC officials.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/22/sports/OLYAGE.php

I hope they are not underage. I would hate to see those girls lose their hard earned medals.

It would be too bad for any of them that won gold medals, but I think it is something that would have to be done; without the age requirement younger competitors are more susceptible to being pushed too hard and taken advantage of.

And I'm pretty sure that at least one of them is not 16. But then again, the Chinese government can easily make and give fake age documents. Hell, I would even imagine that if the gymnasts don't mind that their age records would be pushed a couple years or so just so they can always say they were 16 when they got the medal. I mean if the Chinese government is covering it up and they hold the proof and evidence, then how can anyone prove otherwise?

Isn't this because some other country got pissed off when they lost by penalty or something? If the girls are that good and are BELOW the age requirement, they should actually give them an extra medal.

I don't think it really matters all that much. Like Unacceptance said, the only reason this is an issue is cuz the Chinese team is too good and everybody else is getting all huffy.

But 16 or not, gymnasts are exploited in a very perverse manner akin to child beauty pagent girls.

An archist said:

I don't think it really matters all that much. Like Unacceptance said, the only reason this is an issue is cuz the Chinese team is too good and everybody else is getting all huffy.

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That's retarded and frankly.. lazy thinking. The Olympics have rules, just because somebody points out evidence of somebody breaking the rules does not mean they are jealous or "huffy" of what another team does.

Keep in mind China was caught doing this before.

Yin said:

An archist said:

I don't think it really matters all that much. Like Unacceptance said, the only reason this is an issue is cuz the Chinese team is too good and everybody else is getting all huffy.

Click to expand...

That's retarded and frankly.. lazy thinking. The Olympics have rules, just because somebody points out evidence of somebody breaking the rules does not mean they are jealous or "huffy" of what another team does.

Keep in mind China was caught doing this before.

Click to expand...

O - K
I see someone is really engaged

There's two different cases here, and I think it's very important to differentiate between the two. One is what someone's claiming/crying. Another is what is actually proven. Just because they've been caught before, doesn't change one into the other

With that said, I did see the gymnastics in question, and my first thought was "dang, they can't be very old".

pkg_inc said:

Yin said:

An archist said:

I don't think it really matters all that much. Like Unacceptance said, the only reason this is an issue is cuz the Chinese team is too good and everybody else is getting all huffy.

Click to expand...

That's retarded and frankly.. lazy thinking. The Olympics have rules, just because somebody points out evidence of somebody breaking the rules does not mean they are jealous or "huffy" of what another team does.

Keep in mind China was caught doing this before.

Click to expand...

O - K
I see someone is really engaged

There's two different cases here, and I think it's very important to differentiate between the two. One is what someone's claiming/crying. Another is what is actually proven. Just because they've been caught before, doesn't change one into the other

With that said, I did see the gymnastics in question, and my first thought was "dang, they can't be very old".

Click to expand...

It should be noted the evidence that started this whole controversy comes from Chinese sources. It wasn't just brought up out of thin air by some jealous person.

Rules are rules and if those rules were violated then they should pay the consequences. That said, I would sort of feel for the gymnast if they were stripped of their gold because it is likely they has nothing to do with any of the alleged falsifications.

Frankly I don't know why people actually watch the Olympics, but I have to say stripping those girls off their hard earn medal, might as well boycott the Olympic altogether. First of all most of these girls were kidnap at a young age, and have been put in these talent school by the Chinese Government, and some of these girl haven't seen their family in 12 years, so now stripping them of their medal, is like taking a slave their freedom away after working years and years picking corn.

The Olympics federation should be ashame of themselves and screw the other nation.

chris_2 said:

Frankly I don't know why people actually watch the Olympics, but I have to say stripping those girls off their hard earn medal, might as well boycott the Olympic altogether. First of all most of these girls were kidnap at a young age, and have been put in these talent school by the Chinese Government, and some of these girl haven't seen their family in 12 years, so now stripping them of their medal, is like taking a slave their freedom away after working years and years picking corn.

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...Hmm, at first I disagreed with you, but the more I thought about it living in a communist country fits the idea of being a slave more than any other government in the world I know of. Although we are all slaves to the economy no matter what country or government you have in place.

However,

chris_2 said:

The Olympics federation should be ashame of themselves and screw the other nation.

Click to expand...

I can't agree with this. Assuming China broke the age rule, then the rule is in place for a reason and if any country breaks the rule then that competitor doesn't deserve to compete or get any medal.

I'm pretty sure the Olympic federation is mostly concerned about this because if they allow this then it will happen in the next Summer Olympics and no one will respect the rules that are set. And many people have watched the Olympics and questioned the Chinese ages. I know I did almost immediately. Some of them look like they are 12. And I think it's kind of obvious that some are not 16 considering you can see they haven't even hit puberty (unless they are given something to hinder their physical growth, which would be pretty messed up and possibly against a rule anyway, although I do not know so won't push this thought). So when everyone is questioning this you **** well better make sure they are of age or else the next Summer Olympics will just have rule breakers competing.

But my main point I'm getting at is that I'm sure the other countries could have competed with 14 or 12 year old girls too and done better; but they didn't because they followed the rules, like they are supposed to. And we all should want the rules to be followed! Without the rules, the olympics would be full of hormonal abuse and mechanical enhancement. And the whole point of the Olympics would be gone