Age limits in the olympics?

Question

why do you have to be 16 to compete in gymnastics in the olympics, but in sychronized diving there are 14 year olds

Answer 1

some sports do have age requirements for health and safety reasons. The olympics have age requirements due to health and safety regulations

- Diving (minimum of 14)

- Figure skating (15 by July 1 of previous year)

- Gymnastics (must be 16 years old in Olympic year)

- Judo (15 or older), luge (16 or older)

- Soccer (under 23)

- Team handball (over 18)

- Weightlifting (17 or older)

- Wrestling (must be at least 17 on day of Opening Ceremonies).

Answer 2

  You know I was actually wondering about this a day ago. China has someone on the diving team that is 14 years old, and I believe another country does too. Why are these people allowed to compete even though the Olympics have a regulation regarding the age limit? These young people are actually GOOD! This topic was on the news, and I think it's unfair. People have to wait for their turn. We all had to wait for something in life.

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure It's 16 years old. In diving it might be different. Someone at my school, melissa wu, was in the melbourne commonwealth games and she was in the diving and she was 14.

Answer 4

Yeah, I agree.  It's very confusing and complicating.  There's a lot of controversy over the very young looking Chinese girls - allegedly 16.  But nobody really cares about the Tom Daley, the 14 year old British kid whose high diving.  He doesn't look like he's hit puberty yet, either.

If they're going to have olympic age standards, they should be universal.  Or least make sense.  I understand not letting 14 year olds play olympic hockey but letting them do, say, figure skating.  But diving and gynmastics seem about the same level of danger and difficulty to me.  

Answer 5

some events have age requirements for safety reasons.  The age requirements are set by each sport within the Olympics and is administered by each individual sports governing body

Answer 6

Actually in gymnastics you have to be turning 16 in the year of the Olympics (Bridget Sloane of Team USA is 15). I'm not sure why that is...

Answer 7

I know the gymnasts have to be 16, but I'm not convinced the Chinese girls are anywhere close. As the father of a daughter that takes gymnastics, those girls on the Chinese team look to be no more than 14 and in some cases 12!