'Underaged' Chinese gymnasts.?

Question

I have read several posts regarding the admissable age for gymnasts at the Olympics.

Quite a few people state that it is legal if the competitor is 15, provided that their 16th birthday is this year.

I am curious to know what the rule is and whether this rule applies only to gymnasts, as some components of diving are certainly very gymnastic, and Tom Daley, the diver, is 14 years old.

Can anyone enlighten me please?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Yes it is only for gymnastics.  I think there is a 12 year old athlete actually.  I cant remember from where.  It was so that the younger girls would not be pushed too hard too young so that they could compete in the Olympics

Answer 2

As far as I know, to compete in the Olympics (any sport), you must turn 16 sometime during the Olympic year.  For this Olympics, your 16th birthday would have to occur by 12/31/08 to be a legal competitor.

Answer 3

It's a rule set up by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to help protect the gymnasts. This is also in effect for male gymnasts. You must be 16 by the end of the competition year to be eligible to play, however the only thing used to verify birth date is a passport issued by their country of origin. If the country in questions (I.E. China) issues a passport that says the gymnast is or will be 16 even though thats not true, it is considered acceptable.

The big problem we're having is that the Chinese girls have been in gymnastics schools since they were 3 years of age and will return there after the olympics. They have the skills and their bodies are of a perfect size to do certain competitions, but for others like the vault where you need more weight to properly use a spring board they are at a disadvantage.  

Answer 4

I just answered this...

The rule is that a female gymnast can not compete at the elite level unless she is turning sixteen during the competition year.  This is due to the fact that gymnastics is potentially quite harmful, especially to girls who are still developing.  They are trying to protect the young girls and insure that they aren't pushing themselves too hard.  Tom Daley is a diver, and diving is not as physically demanding because you are not landing on a solid surface.  It is the impact of landing that is one of the most harmful things.

Answer 5

Oh come on people, stop posting the same thing!  Just read other questions that are asking what you want to know instead of asking the same question.

Different sport, different rules.

Answer 6

Each sport has a different age limit that is established by their governing body. The IFG is the governing body for the international gymnastics and has set the age at 16 to compete in the Olympics. This means that you must turn 16 within the calendar year. Whereas FINA is the International governing body for diving and has set those rules. I believe that it is 14 but and unsure for the age that you are allowed to compete at.

The reason that each age limit is different is because the ages are not set by the IOC but by the individual governing bodies of the sports. Some sports have even more complicated rules like the International Skating Union. You are allowed to compete in international competitions at 14 but are not allowed to compete at World or the Olympics until the age of 15.

Answer 7

Well, the rules state that a female gymnast has to turn 16 in an olympic year. But really, who knows if the Chinese gymnasts are underage. Maybe it's just jealousy that leads people to want to make them look bad. Bela Karoly sounded really bitter and jealous the other night when he kept claiming that the Chinese girls were underage, just because they defeated the Americans.