Discussion

• August 15, 2008

  9:48 AM

  good ol' george writes:

  Your first Olympic cartoon....and that's it? What about something about Michael Phelps or Nastia Liukin? Better still, something about NBC's decision to hose the Western half of the country with its "live" coverage.

• August 15, 2008

  10:37 AM

  Sean writes:

  Strange. You find paint drying (also known as baseball) exciting but volleyball bores you.

• August 15, 2008

  11:14 AM

  Andy writes:

  I'll tell you why beach volleyball gets prime coverage: bikinis.

  I think a Phelps toon or a Spitz whining / crying toon would be awesome too!

  Can't wait to see the animations.

• August 15, 2008

  12:34 PM

  Bill writes:

  So, what do we really expect? A communist country that is hosting the Olympics doesn't want to fess up that they're using 12 year olds in place of the required 16 year olds?

  Big surprise. It's communism at its finest. Lie, cheat, steal. Oppress. Business as usual.

  The most surprising thing about these games is that there has yet to be a terrorist attack/car bomb/suicide bomber incident. Of course, the Olympics aren't over. Give it time.

  By the way, anyone who has kids can tell a 12 year old girl from a 16 year old girl. it's pretty clear that these 12 year old gymnasts have had 4 pounds of makeup applied to make them appear older. The Olympic authorities have a responsibility to step in and investigate this. But, because they don't want to upset China, they'll do nothing.

• August 15, 2008

  1:55 PM

  Jeremy writes:

  As contemptible as China's record has been on issues that are actually important, such as free trade, currency manipulation, environmental destruction, arms proliferation, program 863, copyright protection, etc, etc, I'm a little surprised that the issue you guys pick to argue about is the exact age of a group of teenage girls.
  But, since that's the issue, how many of you, who seem to know the heredity traits of Chinese youth so well, have actually lived in China? I know when I lived in Japan, I came across a never-ending supply of 20-25 year old women who looked like 16 yr. old girls. When dealing with school-aged children, it was nearly impossible for me to guess their ages with any success. The diet is different, the lifestyle is different, and their bodies react differently.
  Is China "fudging" ages? Maybe…but that's a pretty strong charge to levy from a bunch of people who have no basis for insight into the situation. Besides, the age of the Chinese girls wouldn't have mattered anyway if the U.S. team hadn't had a couple slip-ups, so get over it.

• August 15, 2008

  3:24 PM

  Jacob writes:

  Jeremy, I don't know if you visit this blog often, but your post was far too logical for the visitors of this blog to stomach. You couldn't have thrown out some unsubstantiated claim that Michael Phelps was taking elephant testosterone or that the Chinese government is rigging the olympics? I'm sure that future posters will be enraged by your sensible train of thought.

• August 15, 2008

  6:06 PM

  YBNORMAL writes:

  If the best gymnasts in the world are 12 we should let them compete at any age. They just need to drop the stupid age rule because the Olympics are to be about who is the best not who is the best over 16.

• August 15, 2008

  7:36 PM

  Penfold writes:

  Here's your answer -

  Copied and pasted from Wikipedia:

  ***********************************************
  The FIG imposes a minimum age limit on gymnasts competing in international meets. The term senior, in gymnastics, refers to any world-class/elite gymnast who is age-eligible under FIG rules. The term junior refers to any gymnast who competes at a world-class/elite level, but is too young to be classified as a senior. Juniors are judged under the same Code of Points as the seniors, and often exhibit the same level of difficulty in their routines.

  Currently, gymnasts must be at least sixteen years of age, or turning sixteen within the calendar year. The age limit had been 10 years on the year of competing up to 1998 when Irish gymnast Sean Lynch broke his leg competing in the European qualifiers, after which the age limit was changed to compete in senior-level events. For the current Olympic cycle, in order to compete in the 2008 Olympics, a gymnast must have a birthdate before January 1, 1993. There is no maximum age restriction.

  The one exception to this rule is the year before the Olympics, when gymnasts who are one year shy of the age requirement may compete as seniors at the World Championships and other meets. For instance, gymnasts born in 1988 were allowed to compete in senior events in 2003. This is permitted to allow nations to qualify to the Olympics with their best teams, and to give emerging gymnasts some experience in major competition before the Olympics.

  Only senior gymnasts are allowed to compete in the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup circuit. However, many meets, such as the European Championships, have separate divisions for juniors. Additionally, some competitions, such as the Goodwill Games, the Pam Am Games, the Pacific Rim Championships and the All-Africa Games, have rules that permit seniors and juniors to compete together.

  The minimum age requirement is arguably one of the most contentious rules in artistic gymnastics, and is frequently debated by coaches, gymnasts and other members of the gymnastics community. Those in favor of the age limits argue that they promote the participation of older athletes in the sport, and that they spare younger gymnasts from the stress of competition and training at a high level. Opponents of the rule point out that junior gymnasts are scored under the exact same Code of Points as the seniors, and train, mostly, the same skills. They also feel that younger gymnasts need the experience of participating in major meets in order to become better athletes; and that if a junior has the skills and maturity to be competitive with seniors, he or she should be allowed that opportunity.

  Another point that frequently arises in this debate is the issue of age falsification. Since stricter age limit rules were first adopted in the early 1980s, there have been several well-documented, and many more suspected, cases of juniors with falsified documents competing as seniors. In only one case -- that of Kim Gwang Suk of North Korea, who competed at the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the approximate age of eleven -- has the FIG taken any disciplinary action.

  While the minimum age requirement applies to both WAG and MAG, it is far more contentious in WAG. Most top male gymnasts are in their late teens or early twenties; female gymnasts are typically ready to compete at the international level by their mid-teens.
  **************************************************

  
  Basically, the age limit is there to protect children from getting overstressed by the immense pressure of competing on an international stage. Too many of these kids are pushed too hard, too fast by their parents, coaches and friends. Some end up suicidal and addicted to drugs and or alcohol by trying to escape the pressure.

  The rules exist to protect the kids. We should be applauding this directive, not ignoring it.