Summer Olympics

Pythoness · #81 08-15-2008, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellicose

HUH! Can you fill me in as I am not home to see anything right now?

One of their gymnasts is younger than 16, which is the age restriction for the competition.

While NBC and other mainstream American media are all over this story, be aware that the charges are based on Chinese information and documentation. The latest evidence came when Associated Press uncovered a November story from Xinhua, the Chinese government news agency, reporting that He Kexin was 13. That would make her ineligible for these Games: Gymnasts must turn 16 within the Olympic year.

On Nov. 3, Xinhua called He one of its "10 big new stars" at China's Cities Games. It described "this little girl" as 13. AP found the report on Xinhua's Web site on Thursday morning; by the afternoon it was no longer accessible.

This is just the latest evidence from Chinese sources. A 2006 biography from the local sports bureau where He was registered gave her birth date as Jan. 1, 1994. (It is now listed as 1992 on her official bio.) That was consistent with a story in the China Daily, the country's largest English-language newspaper.

Kid Lester · #82 08-15-2008, 02:05 PM

There was no friggin' way that girl was ever 16. I know you look young for your age, Py...but this girl looks like, and IS, a CHILD.

Bada Bing · #83 08-15-2008, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pythoness

One of their gymnasts is younger than 16, which is the age restriction for the competition.

While NBC and other mainstream American media are all over this story, be aware that the charges are based on Chinese information and documentation. The latest evidence came when Associated Press uncovered a November story from Xinhua, the Chinese government news agency, reporting that He Kexin was 13. That would make her ineligible for these Games: Gymnasts must turn 16 within the Olympic year.

On Nov. 3, Xinhua called He one of its "10 big new stars" at China's Cities Games. It described "this little girl" as 13. AP found the report on Xinhua's Web site on Thursday morning; by the afternoon it was no longer accessible.

This is just the latest evidence from Chinese sources. A 2006 biography from the local sports bureau where He was registered gave her birth date as Jan. 1, 1994. (It is now listed as 1992 on her official bio.) That was consistent with a story in the China Daily, the country's largest English-language newspaper.

Damnit....she told me she was legal.

Pythoness · #84 08-15-2008, 02:31 PM

This actually goes on all the time, one of the Chinese gymnasts for the Australian olympics admitted after the fact that she was only 14 when she competed.

They take these kids away from their parents and put them into training facilities *very* young. They have little to no contact with the outside. They have tutors, but a large portion of their day is training, training, training.

The younger you are in gymnastics, the more of an edge you have. Gymnasts past 17 are generally considered out of their prime. You never see 23 or 24 year old gymnasts. They're long done by that time, especially if you have the misfortune of growing anything bigger than an A-cup. Hips, butt, and boobs throw your body out of the optimum equilibrium for gymnastics.

Sey's memoir chronicles the drastic measures she and her teenage teammates took to maintain their childlike frames. Competing as an adolescent at the highest levels, Sey says it was a race against time "to beat the menacing development of my own body... before puberty and curves and weight made it nearly impossible.

It just sort of sucks for those who might have been cheated out of a gold medal, or in the case of whoever took 4th, any medal.

witchofthedogs · #85 08-15-2008, 02:33 PM

Actually, the Germans had a 33 year old competing in the vault event this year. She's a former Soviet gymnast. Damned good, too.

Bada Bing · #86 08-15-2008, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witchofthedogs

Actually, the Germans had a 33 year old competing in the vault event this year. She's a former Soviet gymnast. Damned good, too.

She? or He? or all of the above?

(not that there is anything wrong with that)

Pythoness · #87 08-15-2008, 03:06 PM

Oh it can certainly be done.. but for the most part, it's really really hard for the women to compete with the children when it comes to "women's" gymnastics.

Kid Lester · #88 08-15-2008, 03:06 PM

13 is too young to put that girl through the rigors of the Olympics. At 13, she should still be working 16 hour days, putting Happy Meal toys together with all of her friends.

Bada Bing · #89 08-15-2008, 03:51 PM

This picture was posted on Sports Illustrated. Come on. out of all the pictures they take, they chose that one? I'm not kidding here. Yes, even I have a sense of decorum. That's just wrong.

EDIT: it's on SI.com not CNN.

witchofthedogs · #90 08-17-2008, 01:26 PM

I'm sitting here watching women's lightweight doubles sculling and I remembered that, once upon a time, I had a dream of doing that very sport in the Olympics.

And then I went to college and discovered booze and it was all over.

Summer Olympics

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