Do you think the Chinese girl gymnasts are too young?

Question

I found an article that proved it.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080814_ap_statemediastoryfuelsquestionsongymnastsage.html

Answer 1

So?

If they are young, this proves that they are better and more flexible than the adults...?

It is only government is not transparent enough

Answer 2

If they can compete on that level, they should be permitted to do so. There should be a lower limit, certainly, but 13 or 14 is not that far off from the previous min age of 16.

Answer 3

Young, jacked up donkey teeth, still having baby teeth, missing teeth, looking underdeveloped, malnourished and just plain sorry.....

I bet that if the US employed "athletic farms", the athletes we'd have would be far superior and way more creative than the boring Chinese.  We also have food, clothing and a free way of life, so that our athletes will be free to visit their families and not have to live in cages like the dogs that Chinese people eat.....

Answer 4

I'm an American, but I'm really getting sick of hearing all the arguments about the Chinese gymnasts.

First of all, a lot of people are misinformed. They're defending the girls by saying that Tom Daley is only 14. Well, the age limit for synchronized diving (which is his sport) is 14, whereas the gymnastics limit is 16.

I'm also really disappointed in the public approach to the controversy, making sarcastic spins about their small size and snide comments about the Chinese government and culture. It seems like too many people are being encouraged by Bela Karolyi's blatant hypocrisy and attacking the girls when they have very little idea of what's really going on.

I agree that it does look suspicious and if they really are underage it would be unfair, but really, what's to be done? Snatch the gold medals from their skinny little chests and hand them to the U.S.? It would be a bigger deal if the margin between the U.S. and Chinese teams were smaller, but while there's still some uncertainty about the ages, there was definitely no way to miss Alicia Sacramone's falls and the steps-out-of-bounds by Liukin and Johnson.

So I see no point in whining about it now - the Chinese won fair and square, and it WASN'T because of the advantages of younger gymnasts. People do have a legitimate reason to entertain suspicions about ages, but this is getting ridiculous.

Answer 5

I do believe that the Chinese girl gymnasts may be lying about their age.  It's become such a "scandal" that even forensic scientists who study facial features to determine age were studying the Chinese gymnasts and decided that according to science looked about 10 or 11 years old. This was because of their face shape, size of chin, and ratio of their iris to their eyelid, which were all aspects of younger children. Not only that, but most still have many of their baby teeth, which would be ridiculous for a 16 year old.  Even so, they are amazing gymnasts and I think they should be able to compete anyway.

Answer 6

they started training since baby, even they are young they still a pro. players...

Answer 7

This question has been asked 1302030103212 times.  

Answer 8

yes they r!! some look like they r 8 years old! they tried to tell us that some girl was 20!! unbelievable! there is no way she was 20.

Answer 9

obviously

Answer 10

I do, honestly when I was watching I was wondering if those girl were 8 years old(I know Asians tend to look younger, but some of these girls could not be 16, no way)!

The chinese girls won a gold medal, and if the girls are under-aged it's very un-fair, there's a 16 year old age minium for a reason!

Alot of people who don't really understand gymnastics seem too think that if they are able to compete when they are that young then let them, but they don't realize why we don't let them(because it's very unfair), it's also VERY bad for the young girls bodies and could lead to many problems later in life. When you are younger, before your ligaments tighten up, you are much more flexible and able to preform the gymnastics with much more ease then the 16+ girls, so it's a really an unfair advantage.

The fact is, that's the rule. They may be good but if they break the rule, they should be disqualified. Just like there are rules against using drugs. If they tested you positive, you are disqualified. Rules are rules. Break them and that is cheating.

Answer 11

Is there any doubt, they look like they are barely in their teens let alone 16. But they did a great job.

Answer 12

No~ they are cute and they already the champion..that's it.  hope they will get gold medal again in the next Olympic.  

Answer 13

Ya, some of them look like 14,13,15 maybe even 12.

Answer 14

First of all a news article is not definative proof of anything. But yes, I do think the chinese gymnasts lok a little too young. However asians tend to look younger then than really are anyway and in addition my cousin used to be a gymnast. She looked much younger than she really was. It could be because the demanding training stunts the body growth. Combine those two things together and you could have girls who are 16, or turning 16 this year, or girls who are really underage. No real way to tell.

Answer 15

they look EXTREMELY young. i found one girl named Ivana Hong or soemthing like that who was 15, also too young. it isn't fair, but then again, what's done is done, right?

Answer 16

Are you still living in the last century or do you just want some trouble?

Answer 17

Yeah they are way to young to compete

Answer 18

No I think that the US cant except the fact that they got bet :)

They were good and they deserved it

Answer 19

i guess they didnt bother to read think and are american h8rs.dont they have yahoo answers for just americans?that would be nice because i really hate you non american phucktards.go kill yourself and save me the trouble

Answer 20

Anyone should be able to complete as long as they can at that specific level.  

Answer 21

this question has been asked 234234 times and it's so old so please. 2 of them do look too young but the others are definitely of age.

It shouldn't matter their age, as long as they're doing a good job and qualified.

Answer 22

dont you think Tom Daley from GB is too young? He's 14. ANd thers this other kid who is 12 and not from CHina.

and

This question has been asked 1302030103213 times.

Answer 23

Get a life.  You are either too slow in typing, or you love to create troubles.

Answer 24

Once again YES!

ps: to the person above me "Janelle" it is "beaten not bet" =)

Answer 25

yeah they are no way near 16! I am 16 and i look at least 3 years older than them! they are tiny!

Answer 26

gymnasts are generally small and many Asian female gymnasts are even smaller in size. they look small perhaps like a 13 or 14 years old but they are actually much older than that. Just take a look at all the Asian gymnasts ( Chinese, Japanese, Koreans ) , they all look small and young. Compare to their Asian counterparts, western girls are always not only bigger in size but also look much older than their age.

For chinese girls, most of them were roped in for training when they were probably six or seven , with the nature of gymnastics training which limit the growth of a gymnast, so generally these Chinese girls are small in size.

Answer 27

d**n most of these answerers have sh*t for brains.

younger girls are NATURALLY BETTER at gymnastics, because  their shapes are more like boys and they have a better power to weight ratio.

it's CHEATING if china is using girls younger than 16.  

the age limit is there to PROTECT young gymnasts from exploitation.

do you UNDERSTAND you MORONS??