I weary of the comments we hear every time I bring up the issue of underage Chinese gymnasts:
They are innocent until proven guilty!
You bash the Chinese because you wanted the American gymnasts to rank higher!
Not true. I bring up the issue because it is so unfair to those gymnasts disallowed to compete at the Olympics due to their age. It’s a big competitive disadvantage for those majority of nations that abide by the age rules.
I’m certain that Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun were both underage at the 2000 Olympics. Both admitted it.
Yet the FIG Disciplinary Commission has still not ruled on those charges.
I’ve emailed a link to this newspaper article to that Committee. In it, Dong’s husband admits she was underage at the Sydney Olympics.
One of the gymnasts at the centre of an Olympic controversy is now in New Zealand and is looking to further her coaching career in Waikato.
Dong Fangxiao, who was part of China’s bronze medal-winning team in 2000 in Sydney, isn’t assured of keeping her Olympic medal but is keen to help New Zealand gymnastics. She is now living in Hamilton after moving in June this year to study English at Wintec, following her husband Li Te, who studies at Waikato University.
But the International Gymnastics Federation is still investigating the eligibility of Dong and fellow Chinese gymnast Yang Yun at the 2000 Games, where they were thought to be underage.
Gymnasts must be at least 16 by the end of an Olympic year. Dong’s official birthdate is listed as January 23, 1983, but the federation said accreditation information for the Beijing Olympics, where Dong worked as a national technical official, listed her birthdate as January 23, 1986, which would have made her 14 in 2000. …
Li, whose English is much better than Dong’s, told the Waikato Times that Dong was born in 1986 and turned 23 in January this year, making her underage at Sydney. But he said she was cleared of any wrongdoing and the “investigation has already passed”. …
Did Dong’s husband misspeak too?
The minimum age rules are not enforceable. And likely do little to protect young athletes.
The best solution for FIG would be to drop the age requirement.
Most coaches would agree with that, including Valeri Liukin
More controversial is what to do about the 2000 Olympic results should the FIG finally admit the obvious?
I don’t blame Dong Fangxiao. She should not be punished in any way. But the Chinese Gymnastics Federation should be punished retroactively.
10 comments ↓
If they find that the gymnasts were underage does that mean that the US gymnasts will get a bronze metal? Bc China was third and if they did not follow the rules they would not be third anymore right?
Just wondering
I am very passionate about this topic and I think most might not agree with what I am about to write:
I believe there is a reason for the age limit of 16. Adult training and competition programs should not be imposed on developing athletes. Training methods and competition programs designed for mature athletes and applied to pre-pubescent or pubescent athletes tends to result in a long list of physical, psychological, as well as socio-emotional problems. Thus we should really set a limit not based on chronological, rather the athlete’s developmental age, but this would be too difficult. In reality, children (which is a 12 or 13 year old is) should be treated as such. In the words of Claparede: “The child is not a miniature adult. His or her attitude is not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively different from that of an adult. Thus, the child is not only smaller, but also different.”
With regards to sport and physical activity, there is lots of research on this topic. And for those non-Canadian coaches, have a look at http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca, which in my opinion should be used by any international sport federation. Ultimately, we as coaches have the responsibility to develop each athlete on a holistic level, not just to produce top-level athletes. Thus we need to protect the child-athlete by making difficult decisions, like enforcing a certain age-requirement if if this means that the best athlete may not be allowed to compete, as long as the decisions made are in the best interest for the development of the athlete as a whole.
In theory, Luke, I would agree.
But in the real world the unenforceable rules result in totalitarian states falsifying documents. Making for an unfair playing field.
If there was a way to verify maturational age or chronological age, I would agree with you.
Increasing the demands for dance and artistry is perhaps a better way to increase the real average age of female artistic gymnasts.
I understand what you say about how unfair it is on the gymnasts that didn’t get to compete because of possible underage gymnasts, it is very unfair on these gymnasts who would otherwise would’ve had a chance at the goal they’ve worked their whole life for.
I do however question what one would do if the FIG do decide to withdraw medals. You’d have to do it at all the other competitions to make it jusified. 1992 in Barcelona, Gogean was underage. 1996 Alexandra Marinescu was underage. And would you do it at worlds? Would you take away the medals from Olga Mostepanova, Olga Bicherova, Daniela Silivas? Everyone knows about Kim Gwang Suk, but nobody has declared that Tatiana Gutsu and Shannon Miller will get the gold instead.
I think there’s too much precedence against them. If they do it to the Chinese at Sydney it will be unfair because of all the gymnasts they’ve allowed to keep their medals.
I think the statute of limitations is 8 years, which means time has run out on the 2000 results.
I would disagree Luke. The athletes would get trained the same way whether they are allowed to compete at that age or not. I’d be surprised if there was one single coach in the world that would push everything back 2 years because of the age rules.
As it stands now there are many “underage” athletes that train that way every day that are perhaps better than the current best in the world and are not allowed to show in on the world stage. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to get to see that brilliance, and sometimes those kids vanish before they get the chance.
Certainly for me if you are the very best in the world you should be able to be rewarded for it. Having a world champion should not have to imply best in the world at 16 and over.
AMEN Munch.
No actions should be taken, because Mostepanova and company have kept their medals. It will look extremely awkward if they punish just the chinese. Besides… Why just them?
Coach Rick, I don’t think you take this subject once more because you’re country biased. But, you must admit that your insistence on the chinese cheating is very surprising, specially compared with few times you’ve asked for mesures against Silivas, Mostepanova, Gogean and the other cheaters. So, I can totally understand the poster that call you biased, even if I disagree with him.
They will never ban china, because they are actually showing the best gymnastics worldwide. They are not mad.
Personally I don’t care of cheating. This law is stupid. I believe not all stupid laws must be followed. It’s extremely unfair against gymnasts that lose the opportunity of their lives just for being born at the wrong year. It’s just discriminatory, so, I’m more inclined to encourage the cheating than to punish it.
… mrsolis, you have a good point.
I’m not sure how far back we should go.
I agree with you that the age rules are stupid.
Perhaps the Chinese should only be required to admit the falsification. And apologize.
Then the FIG could go back to Romania and Russia to ask for apologies from them, as well.
What do you think?
LOLOL ; that girl in th pink leotard. i know her aaaaalll too well (: she is my mums best friends daughter. and xiao, well she’s my good friend =]
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