I was watching the brilliant Chinese girls gymnastics team win gold..and it got me thinking??

Question

when looking at the girls they look like they are about 9 or 10 years old as they look really young so small.My question is "Is there a age restriction like how young can you be to be a olympian? or can you be any age as long as you qualify?

Answer 1

FYI, the 'guy with the grey hair and mustache' is Bela Karolyi is a world renowned gymnastics coach.  He and his wife coach gymnasts who become successful; they have a camp too.  They coached Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci, among many other Olympic champs and world champs.  His wife, Marta, is the woman you see on the floor with the female gymnasts coming to hug them and encourage them.

Answer 2

For gymnastics, they have to be 16 that year. There is plenty of evidence that China is cheating, however, and that at least two of their girls are actually only 14.

From the New York Times:

"In Chinese newspaper profiles this year, He was listed as 14, too young for the Beijing Games.

"The Times found two online records of official registration lists of Chinese gymnasts that list He's birthday as Jan. 1, 1994, which would make her 14. A 2007 national registry of Chinese gymnasts - now blocked in China but viewable through Google cache - shows He's age as '1994.1.1.'

"Another registration list that is unblocked, dated Jan. 27, 2006, and regarding an 'intercity' competition in Chengdu, China, also lists He's birthday as Jan. 1, 1994. That date differs by two years from the birth date of Jan. 1, 1992, listed on He's passport, which was issued Feb. 14, 2008.

"The other gymnast, Jiang, is listed on her passport - issued March 2, 2006 - as having been born on Nov. 1, 1991, which would make her 16 and thus eligible to compete at the Beijing Games.

"A different birth date, indicating Jiang is not yet 15, appears on a list of junior competitors from the Zhejiang Province sports administration. The list of athletes includes national identification card numbers into which birth dates are embedded. Jiang's national card number as it appears on this list shows her birth date as Oct. 1, 1993, which indicates that she will turn 15 in the fall, and would thus be ineligible to compete in the Beijing Games."

An admission of cheating in 2000:

"Yang Yun of China won individual and team bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and later said in an interview on state-run television that she had been 14 at the time of those Games. A Hunan Province sports administration report also said later that she had been 14 when she competed in Sydney."

China's People's Daily newspaper stating He Kexin's age as 14 on May 23, 2008:

"Olympic gymnastics title contenders suddenly have one more thing to worry about other than the eight gold medals China claimed at the Tianjin World Cup last week. Her name is He Kexin.

"The 14-year-old newcomer to the national team, who was recruited last year, has raised a lot of eyebrows recently after she broke two world records on the uneven bars in as many months. She will be just one more weapon on an already star-studded Chinese Olympic squad."

Answer 3

okay tennis master, not everyone is able to go to china on a regular basis? what do you mean "obviously you've never been to china" what's the matter with your brain?

i think its fair for people to think that they are not of age to compete. there's a lot of proof saying that. although, its also possible for these reports to be less than accurate. but how ironic is it that He Kexin's birthday is listed as January 1,1992. the cutoff date to be able to compete? in a speech given by a representative for chinese gymnastics she mentioned the abilities of the 13 year old gymnasts. personally i don't think these girls are the legal age to compete. there's no solid proof otherwise and it seems like the chinese government and gymnastic association are being awfully hostile and shady about it when people comment on it.  

Answer 4

The truth of the matter is in 2007 china had atleast one of the girls at born in 1994 which is clearly not old enough to be 16.  They changed it again in 2008 to be 16.  The committee that regulates the olympics is too scared to embarrass china for their falsified documents in passports and scared to loose big money from china.  Bunch of puzzis and need to be replaced by people that are willing to judge the sport by the rules not by money.

Answer 5

16 is the legal age.

If you think they are a bunch of 9 or 10 year olds, you obviously never been to China.

Answer 6

i think if a 10 year old can beat every other person in the world at a sport then they deserve gold, isn't it more amazing that someone that young can do that stuff  better than a 16 year for example, yes they might be more flexible if they are younger but being younger than 16 certantly doesn't make them any better at floor routine summersults or horse routine or most of the other gymnast comps for that matter

Answer 7

dog gone it you might be on to something. Excellent observation.  

Answer 8

I hope for the "girls" "women's" sake that they are 16.  I know there is pressure brought to bear on olympic athletes and I'm concerned for their well being.  If they are under-age I believe there is more risk of injury both physical and emotional.  I'm for all of the athletes, and I believe there are reasons why they have the rules.  I pray for all of the athletes to get through this and it be a great experience for all -  not just the medal count.

Go World.

Answer 9

yea you are right! That guy with the grey hair and mustache on NBS said they fake their ages. they were saying that 16 is the legal age, but because of the benefits of using the younger girls (their talent, and also the girls aren't as nervous because they're younger) they use younger ones. the chinese goverment can change their birth certificates so that can happen. after all, they want their country to win and they rule the country so they can do that if they want. the people who run the olympics are the ones who check the ages but they can't do anything if the birth certificates are changed.

hope this answered your question!

Answer 10

Yeah there have been many reports lately on the age dispute of the Chinese woman's gymnastics team, as they claim the girls don't look old enough (minimum of 16 yrs of age). Although I have to disagree they more likely just look young for their age, and the controversy probably would not have even been mentioned if the United States had taken the gold.

Answer 11

i ve been living  here in china for few years now ,and believe me ,they are sixteen and above .

Answer 12

Yes China cheated. They got their passports to say 16 but most of the girls are 14 or younger. It really is unfair because the legal age is 16 but obviously they don't look and they are not 16. They should get theyre medal taken away!