Should there be a restriction on the age of someone in the Olympics??

Question

Yes, it's obvious that the girls on the Chinese team are underage - and I'm happy that they won whatever it is they were in, but if we are sending our nations best, why should there be a restriction on age?

Aside from Gymnastics, I really can't see another sport where a child would be beneficial?

Answer 1

There are reasons for not using under aged girls and I think the ruling should stand.

Answer 2

I think 16 is unreasonable. Maybe they could push it down to 13 or 14. After all a lot of the greats were only 14 when they won. A lot of gymnasts who are capable were robbed of international experience because they were not of age. Had there been no age restriction Nastia Liukin would have been at the last Olympics.  

Answer 3

I do think the chinese were underage, and am not too happy about it. However, I really don't see why we have those rules to begin with, it's about the best athletes from around the world competing against eachother, so why should we worry about age if they are capable

Answer 4

There are age restrictions at the Olympics

Answer 5

It is not at all "obvious" that the Chinese girls are under-age, what is obvious is that they are not affected, or should that be infected, by the western way of life.

The youngest ever female gold medallist in the Olympic Gymnastics was Nadia Comaneci of Romania. She was 14 years and 252 days old when she took gold medals in three events - all-around, balance beam, and uneven bars - at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.



Edit:

The youngest ever Olympian is Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the 1896 Athens Olympics. He was 10 years old.

At the age of 15, Michael Phelps competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, becoming the youngest American male swimmer at an Olympic Games in 68 years.

And  Krisztina Egerszegi is the only woman to win five gold medals in individual swimming events. Egerszegi was only 14 years old when she competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Answer 6

There are age restrictions on all the physical events in the Olympics. And to all of you who say that they are underage: were you there when they were born? Just because somebody looks young does not mean they are young. So unless you have proof, which you don't, get over it, it was good enough for the IOC, it should be good enough for you.

There is a 14 year old from Great Britain on the diving team, btw.