It’s refreshing to see some of the top coaches in the world explaining to the mainstream media why the International Gymnastics Federation age rules are a mistake. And unenforceable.
… the governing body (FIG), whose rules state competitors must be at least 16 during an Olympic year to compete at the Games, introduced a system where all gymnasts taking part in any major event will have to apply for a licence.
But German coach Ulla Koch told Reuters the whole process is a waste of time.
“They (FIG) are not really doing any additional checks on the passports or any other documents from before,” Koch said. …
The FIG were told by the International Olympic Committee to examine the ages of the Chinese team — which included He Kexin and Yang Yilin who are competing at the world championships in London — in Beijing and after a two-month investigation ruled the gymnasts had not broken any rules.
But Russian-born American coach Valery Liukin, whose daughter Nastia won the all-around Olympic gold last year, said the FIG did not do itself any favours when it increased the age eligibility from 14 to 16.
“The Olympic champion should be the strongest gymnast on the earth today. Not 16 and over. That’s how I’ve always felt. …Yahoo Sports – Gymnastics-Age-old problems cannot be wiped out
The only time the media is much interested in this issue is during Olympics and World Championships.
Photo by Grace Chiu.
4 comments ↓
I know age restrictions are not always enforceable. But I worry, that letting younger junior age kids will phase out the older girls who are usually more interesting to watch. I’d hate to see gymnasts peak at 14 and retire at 16 having overdeveloped her still developing body.
This is what I do not understand. Kids are still TRAINING these really difficult skills and learning them young. I know in this country, Marta requires that you have a certain skill set at a very young age – the TOPs A camp and HOPEs kids need to have elite level skills years before they will ever compete them. If we want to keep enforcing this high difficulty code, you either lower the age limit or you tone it down, because any halfway smart coach knows you can’t start training Yurchenkos and release moves at 14 and 15. It starts really early – 9, 10, 11 years old while the gymnast is still small and relatively fearless.
After having a (barely) underage gymnast qualify for Olympic Selection in Canada in 2000, but due to her age, sit on the sidelines, I am vehemently against this age restriction. She may not have made the team in the long run, but she should have surely gotten her shot. Sadly, she didn’t continue long enough in the sport to try for 2004. Just didn’t have it in her. Shame on the system.
[...] On that document you can check the official FIG Passport age of all competitors. (Ha!) [...]
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