| Chinese Women's Gymnastics Controversy | |
|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2008 15:19 |   |
 | It has been reported in the media that 3 girls on the Chinese gymnastics gold-medal winning team are under the age limit according to official Olympics rules. The rule states that all competitors must turn 16 sometime during the year of the Olympics - in this case 2008. According to a list of competitors in a 2007 provincial competition, Yan Yilin (August 1993), He Kexin (January 1994), and Jiang Yuyuan (October 1993) are all more than a year under the age limit. Yan is 14 years old! Their passports, however, issued recently by the Chinese government, say they all barely make the age requirement so no action will be taken. Here's the thing for me: I'm sure this is not the first time cheating has taken place, nor is China the only country that has done it. Is anybody really going to accuse the host country's government of fudging birth dates? I doubt it. HOWEVER, I do regret the mixed signals being sent to young people that I am held responsible to teach. First, the signal sent about the young opening ceremony singer who wasn't quite pretty enough to make the cut, and now the idea that shaving a year off of your age is alright as long as it brings the motherland a gold medal. To see the article: http://www.usatoday.com/  |
| Aug 13, 2008 19:40 | #1 |
| I don't care what nationality it is. To me cheating is cheating. To avoid this controversy, they probably need to abolish the age rule. Why have a rule that they cannot control? How do you prove age? Unlike doping/drug testing, there is no age tests. And documents can be falsified. |
| Aug 13, 2008 20:58 | #2 |
| GUEST72218 | Abolish the age rule?! That's ridiculous. Those rules are there to protect those too young from doing things that they are not yet old enough to fear. While I agree that you can't prove age, you can prove that all of these gymnast were entered into one competition as one age and then the Olympics as another age. That is provable and I agree with JSUMMERS that it sends the wrong message to the Chinese youth - lying and cheating are ok if it gets you a gold medal. |
| Aug 13, 2008 22:27 | #3 |
| Is US jealous of China because they didn't win the medal? The earliest report was from New York Times. They said that online records showed two members of China's women's team, He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan, may be only 14. However, the IOC didn't believe it. Here is a report from MSN website: IOC says Chinese gymnasts not underage: FIG The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed no gymnasts at the Beijing Games are underage, the sport's governing body said Saturday, dispelling suspicions about the Chinese women's team. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed no gymnasts at the Beijing Games are underage, the sport's governing body said Saturday, dispelling suspicions about the Chinese women's team. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said the IOC examined documentation proving no gymnasts were aged under 16 in response to media speculation centering on three Chinese competitors. "The FIG has received confirmation from the International Olympic Committee that all passports are valid for all gymnasts competing in the Beijing Olympic Games," FIG said in a statement. "Stringent control measures are taken at the time of athlete accreditation for all official FIG competitions. Further, all athlete ages for the Beijing Olympic Games are consistent with the FIG records for all past FIG competitions." The New York Times reported last month that online records showed two members of China's women's team, He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan, may be only 14. The age of a third athlete, Yang Yilin, then came into question when the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) website posted a profile indicating she too was 14. China denied anything is out of order, saying ID and legal documents showed He and Jiang meet the minimum age requirement, while also dismissing the CCTV profile as simply wrong. The Chinese women will begin competition on Sunday, when they are expected to challenge world champions the United States for the team gold. |
| Aug 14, 2008 03:34 | #4 |
| As for the issue that was raised, based on what Jimmy says, we must accept the ruling of the IOC who state that they monitor such things carefully and the DOB's are consistent with previously recorded ones. So unless someone else can specifically refute those statements, we must accept that this is the case. |
| Aug 14, 2008 15:14 | #5 |
| I agree we must accept the ruling...I don't want an investigation or revoked medals or anything dumb like that. Medals don't mean that much to me. And Jimmy...OF COURSE the IOC is going to agree about the ages to avoid both controversy and offending China. I never had a doubt about that. They have no choice, really. But you know in the back of your mind, just as well as any person who watches the Olympics that those girls are too young and that somebody manipulated birth papers somewhere. Again, I realize this will never be proven and I knew someone would think I'm actually jealous about the gold medal, I'm just sad about the message this sends to Chinese youth (whom I care about and have a vested interest in). In America, most Olympic stars are forgotten after a couple months, but in China they are immortalized (see Mr. 100m Hurdler). Messages like this carry a lot of weight with 1.3 billion people. |
| Aug 14, 2008 20:37 | #6 |
| "Those rules are there to protect those too young from doing things that they are not yet old enough to fear." Well, the thing is that these kids didn't start training last month. They start very young, some as young as 4 or 5 years old, so it totally defeats the idea that they shouldn't be allowed to compete because of their age. By the way, this age controversy was already in the news months before the Olympics. It just got so much attention now because more people can see the kids. |
| Aug 15, 2008 11:38 | #7 |
| GUESTAUSMANN | oop thats it china says the passports they issue are legit, the country known for reverse enginering, bootleging, counterfeiting and using poison in dog food! Guess this means nothing,(The Associated Press discovered a report on China's government-run Xinhua Web site that labeled gymnast He Kexin as one of "10 big new stars," reporting that she turned 13 on Nov. 3, 2007) they cheated as usualfor a people that worry about honor...they just lost it! |
| Aug 15, 2008 18:25 | #8 |
| GUEST99124 | There are medical test that can prove the age of the girls in question. One such test is a lie detector test on the coach. If you think about it these children are taken from their parents and raised by the state to compete the same state that issues their pass ports. The same country that will put lead in paints that are used in toys and do not respect international laws such as human rights and patent laws. The fact that the team that was hurt the most was the US is only one reason as to why the IOC will not take any action against China. The fact is that the IOC stripped the US relay team that won the relay race with Marian Jones because Marian Jones broke IOC rules and competed using banned substances. For that reason the whole team was punished and not just Marion Jones. There was an investigation into the matter she was found guilty. The french and the international community have been after Lance Armstrong as wellwith no proof. So why is it that the IOC will not even investigate using the same scientific methods available to determine if the Chinese cheated or not? With all the controversy that this issue has caused why not get the test to settle the issue instead of having this cloud over the game? The only answer I can come to is they already know the answer and they do not want their decision to have the games in China be further proven to be a big mistake and damage the credibility of the IOC. If I was one of the women on Marion Jones team I would sue the IOC for selective inforcemnet because they were targeted and the Chinese are getting away with it. |
| Aug 16, 2008 16:15 | #9 |
| GUEST17693 | I'm not sure they're underage, the rumours sound very convincing to me although there is no actual proof. But I'm sure that if they are, they started training a lot earlier than the other gymnasts. This is what the rules are meant to prevent, I guess. Apparently, if you start training - to compete at such a high level - at a very young age in which your body (and bones, especially) is not enough developped and formed, not only you risk serious injuries while performing the movements those gymnasts are required to do, but you also risk serious health consequences at an older age. It could be that younger girls feel a lot less pressure and therefore *maybe* can compete better, but this is not really about the "cheating" and winning the olympic gold medal (which, imho, the chinese girls deserved more than the USA team, anyway, just because the latter made more mistakes), this is about these young girls' health!!! |
| Aug 17, 2008 15:43 | #10 |
| GUEST11251 | Anyone who thinks that no one should say anything just because China is the host country is wrong. Rules are in place for a reason and EVERYONE needs to be fair and truthful. If you have to cheat to win your not really winning anyway. I hope China is proud of themselves. |
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