So apparently 12 year olds are allowed in the Olympics...

espencer

The age rule is more to avoid 12 year old kids getting hurt easily than if they were 16, being 12 is not an advantage 

I was listening to a discussion about this  very thing on a sports radio station DS likes to listen to in the car.  They were saying that being as young as 12 is definitely a psychological advantage.   Apparently  the younger the participants are, the less likely they are to get stressed out over being in the Olympics to start with.  They're better able to tune out the crowds and noise etc. and just behave as if they were at a regular performance or a practice session.

Joyce

fuzzy_dogs_mom

I was listening to a discussion about this  very thing on a sports radio station DS likes to listen to in the car.  They were saying that being as young as 12 is definitely a psychological advantage.   Apparently  the younger the participants are, the less likely they are to get stressed out over being in the Olympics to start with.  They're better able to tune out the crowds and noise etc. and just behave as if they were at a regular performance or a practice session.

Joyce

And at the same time a 12 year old does not have the heart and desire a 16 year old could have, if they are 12 they are more likely to do it to make some one else happy (coaches, parents, etc) than themselves, and according to how the Chinese government "olympic program" they are almost "following orders" and are taken away from their families since a really young age, the Chinese Captain called her parents to tell them she didnt want to do this anymore, the parents told her to stay because "it was good for the family"

I played high school football, once you are performing you cant hear absolutely anything from the stands, your focus is so deep that nothing else around you can distract you, since the gymnasts besides have to remember the routine and keep their balance i really doubt that crowds and noise can affect them

Like we say in my town  "a real rooster in any hen house can sing"

fuzzy_dogs_mom

They were saying that being as young as 12 is definitely a psychological advantage.   Apparently  the younger the participants are, the less likely they are to get stressed out over being in the Olympics to start with. 

.... yet how many times have I heard repeatedly during the Olympic coverage that age, maturity and experience is an definite advantage at this level of competition.  

I think that it doesn't matter one whit whether younger or older is an advantage or disadvantage.

What it comes down to is extremely simple.  If any of those girls are too young, then they are violating the IOC rules.  Simple as that.

Myra

What it comes down to is extremely simple.  If any of those girls are too young, then they are violating the IOC rules.  Simple as that.

We all agree on that. Did the USA team loose because of it? no 

espencer

Myra

What it comes down to is extremely simple.  If any of those girls are too young, then they are violating the IOC rules.  Simple as that.

 

We all agree on that. Did the USA team loose because of it? no 

Irrelevant!

If someone takes steroids but they DON'T win the race, does that make it OK that they took the steroids?
 

espencer

We all agree on that. Did the USA team loose because of it? no 

I'm totally flummoxed that anyone would think they could know w/o a doubt that it didn't make a difference.  Had they not been cheating (assuming they really were), then at least part of their team would've been made up of different girls.  There's simply no way anyone can know how different athletes would have performed.

And as Chuffy said, wrong is wrong whether you benefit from it or not.

Myra

I'm totally flummoxed that anyone would think they could know w/o a doubt that it didn't make a difference.

Thats what i think about people being so sure they are 12 without proof and just because "they look like"

Chuffy

If someone takes steroids but they DON'T win the race, does that make it OK that they took the steroids?

You dont need to be a rocket scientist to know that being a 12 years old is not an advantage at sports as taking steroids would, people (not talking about some one in specific) need to get over it and dont be sore loosers, i bet this thread would not exist if the Chinese didnt win gold, people mostly sure would not care how old they were as long as they didnt win but they did and now age is really an issue

janetmichel3009

i actually havent watched any of the gymnastics. just wanted to say that chinese girls tend to be really small and underdeveloped compared to "white" girls... that's not to say they didnt cheat. just throwing that in there

I kinda agree JM. Here in the USA our 12-16y/o most of the time look like they're 25 and been thru a divorce. Make up...clothing...etc.

I wouldn't doubt that age tampering is there...after all Birth Certificates are GOVERNMENT issued doc's and gov't can do what they wish.

But I do think looking at those girls with Western eyes is the wrong way to do it. Look at them in a pool of girls of the age they are purported to be...in their own country...might be easier to judge.

ETA: I'd also thought that the Chinese and perhaps other Asian countries use a different age reckoning than we do. That being you count the gestational year as one...so every child is born...a year old. Just an interesting thing to consider.

 OK, I'm confused.  I'm watching the final of the uneven bars and just heard the BBC refer to a Ukranian gymnast as being 15 - twice.  Does the age limit not apply to everyone? 

i might be completely wrong about it, but i think the rule is they have to have their 16th birthday this year, which means they could techinically still be 15 and just have their birthday later this year...

yup just like Little League...you just have to be of age at some point, in the Olympic year.

The big thing I have read is that in China last year at a competition they bragged about their 13 year old prodigy. This year she is 16. Hard to prove.

 I guess I'm just a little sensitive to these allegations. If they are cheating that's not right and their medals should be stripped. However nothing has been proven. Looking young does not mean they are. My son played competitive ball for years. He was a big strong boy and was considered one of the top players in the country. He never had a problem with his size and ability until he would face certain 'favoured' teams. When his talents became apparent and the "favoured" teams fell behind the same old jeers would start. "Where's your birth certificate? Who doctored your birth certificate?" I knew they were just upset because they were losing, but I always thought it was arrogant of them to assume the only way someone could beat them was to cheat. Funny, it never bothered my son at all. He took it as kind of a back handed compliment.

We've been watching the Little League World Series off and on and since  both my boys played Little League I know for a fact that you have to give them a notarized copy of the birth certificate at the start of the season.  The LL World Series has two or three players that are 6' or 6'2" and THEY ARE 12 yrs. old. They can't  be any older than that at the start of the season, although it's OK if they turn 13 during the season. One 6'2" player (can't remember where he's from) actually weighs in at 228 lbs. ... that's  bigger than a lot of the pro players ... but he still had to meet the age requirements.

Joyce