Chinese Gymnast too young

[sparks19]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes

The rule is they have to be 16 in the Olympic year... this girl is only 13

there has been A LOT of speculation about her age.

[Husky_mom]

not taking sides or anything... but if a 13 yr old can beat anyone and is capable, why not give them the chance to shine now that they can... perhaps when they turn 16 they won´t be too into that anymore...

JMO

[Karen]

They changed the age rules years ago because they worried about injury in girls too young ...

Gymnastics is the only sport where younger is better, physiologically, the younger you are, the better muscle-to-weight ratio your body has.

[lvpets2002]

I am very sad for her.. She is so good.. I really thought the age was still 13.. I hate this But Rules are Rules..

[sparks19]

They changed the age rules years ago because they worried about injury in girls too young ...

Gymnastics is the only sport where younger is better, physiologically, the younger you are, the better muscle-to-weight ratio your body has.

Exactly. Younger girls have an advantage over the older girls. Generally their balance and flexibility is better at a younger age too.

Plus it takes spots away from women who are following the rules and are just as good.

I also heard a report they were talking about during the olympics that typically these chinese gymnasts are taken from their homes at 3 years of age and one of the girls requested to go back home and her family refused to let her come home because itw ould be better for their family is she made it to the olympics.

[Miss Z]

Well I for one will say that you'd have to be a human rubber-band to be more flexible than those gymnasts who ARE sixteen and over! If the girl's good enough, let her compete.

I had a look at the photos and I can't make up my mind how old she is, she doesn't look much younger than the other gymnasts stood on the podium. Gymnasts are generally so petite that they all look about twelve to me, anyway.

[Karen]

Yes, I thought Alicia Sacramone, the one gymnast from Massachusetts that basically lost the gold for the US, was very, very dignified and gracious. First the reporters were seemingly trying to get her to feel even worse than she already did about the US not getting gold because of her fall. She was calm, held it together, and spoke about the team, and winning the silver despite all the injuries.

Then, one reporter asked her about the stories that some of the Chinese gymnasts looked younger than 16. She calmly replied that no one outside of gymnastics ever believes her when she says she is 20 years old either, and she refused to take the reporter's bait.

When you realize how Nastia Lukin "towers over" all the other gymnasts, and then learn that she is all of 5' 3", you know these are all small young women, and are going to have a hard time being taken seriously until they are old enough to have grey hair. My cousin, who is maybe 5'3" (in heels) and in her twenties could easily "diet down" to a size zero, used to be asked for ID when she ordered an alcoholic drink even when she was 25 years old, which often mortified her dates!

[Ginger's Mom]

They changed the age rules years ago because they worried about injury in girls too young ...

Yes, this is what worries me the most. The girls are so young and their bones are still developing. They could cause some serious permanent injuries, and likelihood of that does decrease after the age of sixteen (actually I thought it was eighteen for girls).

Gymnastics is the only sport where younger is better, physiologically, the younger you are, the better muscle-to-weight ratio your body has.

Thank you for explaining that. I must admit I was a little confused as to what the advantage was, because I was thinking you will develop better balance and muscle control as you mature. So how can being younger be an advantage.

[sparks19]

Well I for one will say that you'd have to be a human rubber-band to be more flexible than those gymnasts who ARE sixteen and over! If the girl's good enough, let her compete.

I had a look at the photos and I can't make up my mind how old she is, she doesn't look much younger than the other gymnasts stood on the podium. Gymnasts are generally so petite that they all look about twelve to me, anyway.

it's a nice thought... but rules are rules and if you make the exception for her... what about everyone else who followed the rules? What about others who have broken other rules? should they just be overlooked because they were good enough? It sets a precedent and that could lead to a whole bunch of problems.

Yeah it's really hard to tell with some of those girls how old they really are. they are all so petite.

[jennielynn1970]

Between the little girl who was a lip sync'er, the fireworks that really weren't, and now the ages of two of the female gymnasts.

What else is fake?

Yes, they are great gymnasts, and I don't think anyone is disputing that fact, but rules are rules. They are there for a reason, and need to be followed.

[kitten645]

This and many other factors.... human rights, animal rights, Tibet etc are why I'm boycotting all things olympic in China. It's all smoke and mirrors JMHO.
Claudia

[sparks19]

Between the little girl who was a lip sync'er, the fireworks that really weren't, and now the ages of two of the female gymnasts.

What else is fake?

Yes, they are great gymnasts, and I don't think anyone is disputing that fact, but rules are rules. They are there for a reason, and need to be followed.

Oh I don't think I heard anything about the fireworks... they were fake? how does that work? With all the other strange occurances I missed that one lol

[Karen]

Oh I don't think I heard anything about the fireworks... they were fake? how does that work? With all the other strange occurances I missed that one lol

Just the "footprints over Beijing" weren't real that night, they had been previously done, and edited into the sequence we saw as part of the opening ceremony. Which didn't bother me at all, frankly, as if anyone's gonna do fireworks right, it's the nation that invented them, and there were plenty of other real, spectacular fireworks as part of the opening ceremonies.

[sparks19]

Just the "footprints over Beijing" weren't real that night, they had been previously done, and edited into the sequence we saw as part of the opening ceremony. Which didn't bother me at all, frankly, as if anyone's gonna do fireworks right, it's the nation that invented them, and there were plenty of other real, spectacular fireworks as part of the opening ceremonies.

ahhhh I see. I missed the fireworks part of the opening ceremony.

[cassiesmom]

Are there different ages for different sports? I heard on the news that one of the synchronized divers was 14.

Yeah it's really hard to tell with some of those girls how old they really are. they are all so petite.

I wonder if all those hours of training and competing messes with their hormones. They're all so small and they all look so young. I remember when Kerri Strug was interviewed on TV after she vaulted on a sprained ankle. She had such a high-pitched voice, even though she was a teenager. The 33-year-old German gymnast seemed to be the only one in these games who had a normal appearing female body.