Why is women's gymnastics full of prepubescent nymphs -- This is a Physics question?

Question

The average weight for the Chinese women's gymnastics team which won the gold in the team competition was 77 lbs (35 kg) while the US women's team was a hefty 105 lbs ( 47 kg). Moreover, the 3 smallest Chinese gymnasts were all alleged by outsiders to under 16 years old -- and all three were used on the uneven parallel bars.

What advantage do small immature girls have in this sport?

Answer 1

Physically a smaller girl will be able to rotate faster but gymnastics is not about how fast you can spin.    

I think the younger you are the less pressure you are aware of...nerves play a big part in the Olympics.  IF a younger person is identical in skill to an older person than  nerves and pressure will play a huge part in who gets a gold and who goes home crying.

Also, younger people are more fearless when it comes to doing things with there bodies.  Therefore, it is probably a larger pool of athletes to choose from to mold into a champion.  

Lastly, I think smaller gymnast will be able to do more difficult maneuvers easier because they have the potential to be more agile than heavier people (Note:I didn't say younger).    Being a smaller gymnast doesn't necessarily mean that you are younger...so i think when people refer to using less force to move lighter bodies they are inadvertently avoiding the question.  I am sure the American girls are heavier than most of the other countries out there..yet they still won silver, how do you explain that other than pure skill .    Although in this case if there is such a gross difference in weight between the Chinese and American team than that is something to note.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Given 105lb and 77lbs it takes 77/105 less force to throw yourself around. Uneven bars.  

Answer 4

Their bodies have less inertia therefore less torque is required to control their rates of rotation on the bars.

There is also less impact on their legs when they land. So their light bodies can sustain more wear and tear.

The Chinese government has given them fake passports, and also threatened the judges to give higher scores to the Chinese.

Answer 5

Many analysts contend that smaller, lighter bodies are more agile and thus more capable of completing the Chinese team's signature elaborate moves. Others, including former Soviet gold medalists, speculate that younger gymnasts are less fearful of sustaining injury.

Answer 6

A female that has small b*****s and hips has a lower polar moment of inertia.  Thus, can achieve higher rotation speeds with less force.

Answer 7

I think the advantage is due to strength being roughly proportional to the square of height (the cross-sectional area of muscle) while weight is proportional to the cube of height (the volume of the person).

So if you take two people of equal body composition (body fat ratio) and training, then the shorter (younger, smaller) person will be able to better control her body on uneven parallel bars.