Bela accuses Chinese gymnastics of cheating

[BillVol]

Says on NBC that "half the Chinese team is 'underage.'" (Minimum age to compete in Oly gymnastics is 16.) But, Bela says, they have their IDs in the form of passports, issued by the Chinese government, that says they are old enough to compete in the OGs.

[guru]

Karolyi has been saying that long before tonight.
He's lucky he hasn't had his visa revoked.

http://tinyurl.com/5kqsov

[BillVol]

Just goes to show how screwed up gymnastics is. You are over the hill if you are over 14. I've complained for years that we don't have college gymnastics at Tennessee. But do we really want any part of this "sport"?

[AthleticsInBritain]

I think it's daft. The Chinese gymnasts do look very young, but then again, Shawn Thompson doesn't look 16 either - more like 14.

[dr ngo]

Looks aren't everything

It's not just the looks, it's that at least two of the gymnasts were listed as late as early this year- BY THE CHINESE (on their website and in local sports programs) - as having birthdates that would make them underaged (e.g., a birthdate of 1/1/1994, which has now become 1/1/1992.) So there's not just suspicions based on appearance, but documentary evidence that they are cheating. The New York Times broke the story.

The official Chinese position is that websites and programs make mistakes, but the passport office doesn't.

The IOC seemed to agree, but their reasoning was a little muffled, since their collective heads were so far up Beijing's ass.

There's nothing else to be done about it. No investigation, no possibility of testing. It's a done deal. :cry:

[Brettboy]

What exactly are you pissed about? The rule was brougt in to protect athletes, their development and their bodies, but some just seem to think that for some reason the Chinese have an advantage of some kind because the kids are younger?

[jazzcyclist]

How does having underage athletes give the Chinese an advantage? Are pre-pubescent athletes really better at this sport than older athletes? If there was no age restriction, would the US team be younger than it is?

[Marlow]

I think it's daft. The Chinese gymnasts do look very young, but then again, Shawn Thompson doesn't look 16 either - more like 14.

No, but Shawn Johnson does. She's just short. Even taking into consideration that Asiatic women tend to look younger to us Western Euro types, there's no way that at least 2-3 of the Chinese team are NOT underage.

[imaginative]

How does having underage athletes give the Chinese an advantage? Are pre-pubescent athletes really better at this sport than older athletes? If there was no age restriction, would the US team be younger than it is?

There is another thread on this issue:
http://mb.trackandfieldnews.com/discuss ... p?p=479932

The discussion includes some explanations of the ``younger = better''
theory.

[WalkandJog]

They CHEATED, plain and simple

Regardless of whether younger gymnasts have better abilities or not, the fact remains that the RULES are that no one under 16 is supposed to compete. Letting underage girls compete is CHEATING, and China needs to have their team gold medal revoked. It's so typical of the lack of integrity of the Chinese government: poisonous pet food, lead paint in toys, counterfeit drugs and fake designer goods. The only plausible explanation to me for the underage appearance of those gymnastics toddlers is that perhaps their growth was stunted by all the lead in their toys and maybe they were fed poisoned pet food, while breathing all that industrial smog in some sweatshop making fake Louis Vuitton purses. :wink: (Just kidding, and having fun being politically incorrect.)

[bijanc]

Sweet Little 16...Not

CNNSI report:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/o ... ml?cnn=yes