Originally posted by johnsky
lol. Seriously, if she can compete against people who have had more training than her over the years... let her keep the medal.
Just make sure it doesn't happen again, we don't need parents forcing their 8 year old into it for fame.

This is what I thought at first as well. However, it then means that every other country that decided to follow the rules kept out their more flexible and less 'exposed' to failure kids. You see, it's a two way street. The U.S. has a nice group of kids between 14 and just under 16 that would have done very well in the olypics but were kept home for 2012. Why? Because it's the rules.

Why are the rules in place? Because these young kids (girls in particular) are at their most important developmental stages between 14 and 16. (Thus why they are more flexible) Most girls stop developing at 16. The high end tricks that these girls pull off are the cause of some very serious injuries. Injuries, that in a developing child, could cause very serious and permanent damage for the rest of their lives. Thus the age was raised first to 15 and then to 16 in 1997.

Many teams have been caught lying about the ages of their girls including the Chinese team in the Athen games of 2000.

Cheating is cheating. If the competition is not completed on an even playing field then it is NOT fair to the other competitors that participated.

Also, there is data showing that the age of the girls being reported as 10 through 13 as late as 2007. What I mean is, for the three to four years leading up to 2007 they were reported as being 10 in 2004, 11.....and so on.

Then all of a sudden they are 16. Sorry. Cheating is cheating. No matter how badly the host nation wants to do it is still cheating.

Originally posted by justyc


but why is it ok for there to be a rule for 14 year old males who perform gymnastic manoeuvres on the diving board to be allowed but not 14 year old female gymnasts? 14 years old is 14 years old regardless of the sport. all the games should have the same minimum age limit (which should be 16 in imho).

Originally posted by Sheeper

Originally posted by justyc
why is nobody making a fuss about the uk diving wonderkid tom daley? he is only fourteen! born in may 1994 so not even sixteen in the olympic year. why is it ok for him to compete?

[edit on 22-8-2008 by justyc]

The rules are different for that sport. The main reason this is imposed with gymnasts is because such extreme body devolopment will cause bones to stunt. Swimming is different in body development. But that point is all moot anyway when you consider that a rule that is being followed by one team will put them at a disadvantage if another team does cheat.

Am I on your ignore button or something, how can you ask that question when I had given you the reason IN THE POST RIGHT ABOVE! Some people are dense.

Originally posted by mapsurfer_

Originally posted by justyc
why is nobody making a fuss about the uk diving wonderkid tom daley? he is only fourteen! born in may 1994 so not even sixteen in the olympic year. why is it ok for him to compete?

[edit on 22-8-2008 by justyc]

Yeah.. He should not have been allowed to compete either.

OH my god!!!! YOu people are so dense it's not even funny. Their are different rules between diving and gymnastics.....for very obvious reason. PAY ATTENTION!!!!

Originally posted by johnsky
lol. Seriously, if she can compete against people who have had more training than her over the years... let her keep the medal.
Just make sure it doesn't happen again, we don't need parents forcing their 8 year old into it for fame.

Excuse me for not reading the whole thread, just wanted to touch on this point. It is actually easier for her to win those metals being younger.
Thats why. Height has a lot to do with gymnastics. As a gymnast grows
they will lose their ability to preform it perfectly and start stumbling etc...

It was a big big thing with Domonique Moceanu. Which was my favorite female gymnast of all times. I only watch the girls gymnastics. All ive ever been interested in. I also watch every competition I can get my hands on.
Just wanted you to see why people are complaining, I understand your point. If it did not contribute to her winning it would be fine, but in this case it severely does.

They will most likely strip her of her metal although they ask them to mail them back LOL! So she might just keep it. China definately needs to be banned from atleast one game thats striaght up turning a blind eye to cheating. They need to fix the metals now due to cheating.

Originally posted by mapsurfer_
Produce the birth certificate and squelch the controversy. Simple as that.

They have.

They also produced her passport and her OLD passport issued 5 years ago. Her residence card and her ID card as well all dating back a couple of years

I don't understand how this has even turned into a debate. It's simple, if any of the female gymnists were underage then they shoud lose any medals that they won.


The age rules in gymnastics are there for a very good reason, and the rules have to be followed. So yes if they broke the rules, then they must lose their medals and the medals must be given to the true winners.

Also if China lied about the girls ages then they must be banned from the olympics for at least one season.

For all the people that say, oh don't take the medal away from her, its not fair to her bacause she earned it. If she is only 14 then she did not earn it fairly, she won it through a great advantage that she had over all the other gymnasts that folowed the rules. And what about being fair to the gymnasts that folowed the rules ? Is it fair to them to lose medals that they would have won had China not cheated ?

Originally posted by Memysabu
It is actually easier for her to win those metals being younger.
Thats why. Height has a lot to do with gymnastics. As a gymnast grows
they will lose their ability to preform it perfectly and start stumbling etc...

It was a big big thing with Domonique Moceanu.

People forget that Nadia Comaneci - probably the best balance beam gymnast ever - had difficulties after she began to develop. I believe her Olympics was prior to the age restrictions.

Bela Karoly - who has been out spoken about the Chinese Gymnast's ages - - and I trust his judgment - he's probably witnessed more gymnasts then anyone - - is against the age restriction.

It's a shame if this all turns out to be true. The chinese gymnast will grow up in shame and if she does ever return to the Olympics, that's all the news will talk about.

That being said. screw them for cheating. I think the information will come out and they will deny everything. Since China is a locked society, they will produce documents showing that she was of age and we will never know for sure. Too bad.

All logic suggest that China has more proof. China provided a passport, a OLD passport issued 5 years prior when she wasn't even a star let alone given the all clear by a sinister commie bastard to go to the olympics underage, birth certificate, residency card and HUNDREDS of documents ON PAPER stating her age as 16 years old.

There was even a documenty made in 2003 about up and coming gymnast for the Beijing games when they were knowns out of a field of hundreds or even thousands of athletes training for Beijing.


But if people want to hear something they want to hear then they'll believe anything. A old internet page for instance. Birthdays, deaths and marriages are wrong on most computer databases so I dont see how this is close to anything resembling proof

Far out!!! Why do you Americans always choose to ignore facts that work against your accusations? It's like, you choose to filter out most of the information provided and only choose to believe what you wanted to believe in. Do I have to bring up Iraq to proof a point?

Also... what's with the hate emails sent to the Aussie judge? Oh she's not an American so she must be bias towards Americans? Learn this simple fact my American friends, not everyone has to give in to your demands and not everyone has to side with you.

Originally posted by chinawhite
Case in point

Helen Colagiuri, the australian judge is listed as being born on Janurary 1 1900 by NBC when she is CLEARLY not 108 years old. Another example of why these type of documents and list and not trust worthly

Not Case in Point.

It is very common for adult women to do this. To list their age at some ridiculous number. Business is still a sexist world - - its tough enough to play on an equal field with men - - without age discrimination too.