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Olympics: Underage Gymnasts?
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Posted 3 months ago For those of you who are following the Olympics, you may already be aware of the controversy regarding the ages of some Chinese gymnasts. For a quick update, check out the news article here: http://www.theapple.com/news/5718-ioc-to-investigate-whether-champion-chinese-gymnasts-are-underage What do you think? Under 16? And if they are under 16, what should be their consequences? What are your thoughts about the 16-year-old barrier in the first place? |
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| Posted 3 months ago Thats sad if they are 14, causes they got a gold medal, when some other gymnast could of gotten it and who deserved it. |
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| Posted 3 months ago I have no opinion on whether the requirement that gymnasts be 16 years-old makes sense, but as it was the rule at the time of the competition it should be followed. If the girls turn out to be underage the medals should be forfeited and some kind of sanction against the Chinese gymnastic team should be imposed. "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence." ~~ Abigail Adams (1744 - 1818) |
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| Posted 3 months ago If the gymnasts are underage (and I strongly suspect they are), I doubt such "state-sponsored" cheating will be able to be proven. After all, it's the government that issues documents such as birth certificates. Given the "greed for gold" exhibited by so many countries (including the USA), this could spread like wildfire. First "performance-enhancing drugs" and now this. The ancient Greeks (on Olympus) must regret ever starting what is fast becoming a disgraceful farce. |
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| Posted 3 months ago I think it's completely unfair to all other competitors if these gymnasts are under the age of 16. First of all, it's the rules, and on competition at this level, I'd hope every country would respect the meaning of the Olympics and follow the rules. Also, being so young, they have an advantage in competition: they're smaller; they're more fearless; their bodies haven't developed as much, thus they're able to do more ridiculous things with their bodies; they're more flexible. |
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| Posted 2 months ago I agree that if the gymnasts are underage then their medals should be forfeited. But I doubt that if they are really underage, cause as I know Asian girls are looking younger than they are. I have a chinese friend who is 24 years old but everyone here thinks she is 16! |