Bronze for the US Gymnasts
The current buzz in the gym world is that a Chinese Olympian at the 2000 Sydney Games was underage at the time she competed (the FIG states that says you have to be at least 16), and thus, the entire Chinese team that placed third is packing up their medals and shipping them to the US team that placed right behind.
Personally, I feel that the age limit should be taken away. I think that if you’re good enough to compete at the highest level, you should be able to do so regardless of your age. But rules are rules, and if it’s in print, you’ve gotta follow them. It’s great that the US team is getting their medal but I feel for the team that should’ve competed at the Sydney Games but didn’t get the chance to. After all, the girl that was caught as being underage also competed at the world championships the year before, which served as the qualifying competition for the Olympics. Total bummer.
Sho,
I would like to think you are right about gymnasts competing at any age, if they are good enough. I used to think that same thing, but realized that a lot of countries like China might over train their kids at a younger age in order to win and that training at such a young age could ultimately result in serious damage to the young bodies. I believe that is one reason for the age limits. I recognize the formation of bone, muscle and other structures at young ages and that there is cause for concern where bending and pounding could be detrimental to those bodies growth. It is incredible that the young gymnasts can perform at such a high level, but at what cost. I applaud the FIG for imposing these age limits as a way to help protect the “child”. There may be other reasons for the age limits as well. I think this is an important one to ponder, but at the same time, I am embarrassed by the fact that delegations in our sport have been deemed cheaters and therefore, the young athletes have to return a medal they worked so hard for all because their country cheated and it’s under the high scrutiny of the world.
hey kimi,
now that you mention it, you’re right. this sport is constantly evolving and it’s only becoming more difficult and more demanding for the participating athletes. as you said, putting young athletes through such a rigorous training program could result in serious damage to their bodies. it is a total bummer though that the athletes are getting penalized. i’m sure the athletes didn’t have a say in competing. such a shame…