The funniest response I’ve seen to the news that Team USA is getting a Bronze team medal for the Olympics 2000:
Dominique Dawes (triple Olympian) …
“Thanks to the due diligence of the IOC and FIG, the truth has been revealed. I could have never imagined receiving another medal after 10 years. Maybe this will inspire me to come back for a fourth Olympics. Oh wait, is there a maximum age?”
The best summing up of the entire sorry story can be read on the American Gymnast blog, posted by the always thoughtful Andy Thornton:
Coming out of the mouth of one of the biggest opponents of the age requirement to begin with…I must say I am very proud of the IOC. If the FIG is going to try to enforce such strict rules that have such a huge impact on world and Olympic competition – no matter how absurd they may be – there HAS to be consequences for violators. …
read more – IOC Made the Right Decision
Andy lists a few of the gymnast who didn’t cheat: Russian Natalia Ziganshina and perhaps even Anna Pavlova (2000), Kristal Uzelac (2000), Uzelac (2001), Romanian Sabina Cojocar (2000), Nastia Liukin (2004), and Samantha Shapiro (2008).
You could name dozens more.
Andy links to Blythe Lawrence’s summing up on Gymnastics Examiner. It talks of the underage gymnast in the 1996 Olympics, never investigated by FIG or IOC.
Both Andy and Blythe conclude with the obvious. The minimum age requirement for competitive gymnasts must be eliminated once and for all.
17 comments ↓
I don’t agree. Eliminating the min. age will destroy the integrity of the sport. Not only will it force all the countries to skew to the younger, more flexible, more easily trainable gymnasts (while simultaneously causing sometimes severe consequences in terms of a young girl’s health post gymnastics career), but also, eliminating the age requirement simply because it means some countries will stop cheating is probably the most ridiculous argument anyone could make. By lowering the age requirement in order to stop cheating, the FIG and IOC are essentially condoning and rewarding those countries that caused the dilemma from their cheating.
The FIG and IOC are becoming more strict with their age enforcement, and by properly handling violations, they will finally start to crack down on the cheaters.
I wholeheartedly agree Kennedy!! The rule was brought in in the first place for a reason – to protect children from early burn out and to give them some longevity in the sport. We will lose a huge number our older athletes if the rule is abolished – and we all know that with age comes grace and maturity, two qualities that add to the beauty of artistic gymnastics!
Gotta agree with these two posts! I think the age requirement is a good thing. And abolishing it because people cheat is ridiculous! We just have to make sure that we are enforcing it, Which FIG and the IOC seem to be working on.
“I wholeheartedly agree Kennedy!! The rule was brought in in the first place for a reason – to protect children from early burn out and to give them some longevity in the sport. We will lose a huge number our older athletes if the rule is abolished – and we all know that with age comes grace and maturity, two qualities that add to the beauty of artistic gymnastics!”
1. Gymnasts still get seriously injured before they turn 16.
2. Older does not mean more mature or more graceful. Zamo didn’t get more graceful as she aged, nor did Chusovitina. There are gymnasts that are 13 and 14 that are some of the most graceful gymnasts of this time. Prime example = Nastya Grishina.
I don’t think the age limit should be lowered to stop people from cheating, it should be lowered because there are a lot of gymnasts who can contend for titles. There are very few gymnastics meets for juniors of all nations. If they have a junior worlds every 2 years or something, I wouldn’t mind an age limit. But we’ve been waiting for HOW LONG to see Komova and Wieber FINALLY square off?
I’m surprised how many people still agree with an age rule that’s impossible to enforce. Why should Dong Fangxiao be penalized and not her teammate, both of whom admitted they were too young.
That’s not fair.
I’d like the rule if it was possible to enforce it reliably.
Dwight Normile argues that it’s SAFER for a 70lb 14yr-old gymnast to do this crazy sport, than when she’s 16yrs-old.
Safety of children is not all that good an argument.
I agree the safety argument is weak. Komova, Weiber and many more gymnasts have been doing high difficulty at a young age. Clearly the age rule is not working to protect these children. The code needs to change to protect all gymnasts, not the age requirement.
I am curious to know how many gymnasts were competitive or of use to their respective team under the age of 14? As an ‘of age’ competitor or as a junior?
I think you do bring up a good question, Gem.
And as far as injuries…they will happen no matter what. I agree that the code needs to change in order to really make a significant difference, and I do think that should happen. As long as there is an age requirement, I see no problem with including restrictions in regards to the difficulty of “under age” gymnasts’ routines.
little pixies that are 12 ~ 14 years old have their own artistic charms. But “old” gymnasts and those 16 and older also are a pleasure to watch. Personally, I find the latter much more interesting. Maybe the little kids can throw the big tricks with less inhibition and injuries, but the mature gymnasts are so refined in comparison. I really hope FIG continues to enforce the age rule….I’d hate to see the “older” gymnasts go.
Safety is not a a good argument. the sport is harder on women than girls. Hotter chicks when they are sexually mature is a good argument. (said jokingly…but really don’t people think it’s bizarre who children are better athletes than adults)? Other than camel jockeys, don’t know of any sports where this is the case for men…
The “safety” thing is a caviat to get people off their back about child abuse in gymnastics. A lot has evolved, people are more educated, and I do believe there is less of it (there will always be abuse no matter where you go). It has nothing to do with protecting children. Nothing. I want to protect my talented gymnast – I don’t make them elite because the code demands a super amount of difficulty at ages that are less safe for gymnasts to train. That really narrows the gap on who can be at the top of this sport – and leaves out kids that are better.
On a FIG level, you can’t protect girls from idiot coaches. Age rule or no age rule, an idiot coach is going to train his athletes idiotically because he’s an idiot coach. The motivation behind his idiocy and the effects of his idiocy are going to find an outlet, whether it’s competing internationally, nationally, regionally, or locally. No matter what, if he pushes kids to do things they can’t do, it doesn’t matter if the kid is a level 8, 9, 10, or elite, or 8 years old, 10 years old, 16 years old, or 42 years old: the kid can’t do it.
If he is operating under the belief that younger is ALWAYS better and quicker is ALWAYS better, and makes every decision based on the girl’s age instead of her level of preparation or with her best interest in mind, he’s an idiot, and his kids are going to get hurt or die by the sheer force of his idiocy, and no amount of top-down rules will change that.
You can’t fix stupid, especially not with “rules.”
I agree Kennedy.
If we want athletes to have fewer injuries, we could do it with rules changes.
But age requirements are not the way to do it. If we raised the age to 18, as Grandi once said he wanted, we’d have far more injuries.
I don’t think we’d lose older gymnasts if there was not age requirement. Younger club kids would train F.I.G. … Then, at some point, they’d switch to NCAA. Shayla Worley, for just one example
When the minimum age rule is killed there will be no more sport worth of the name “women gymnastics”. It will be “girls gymnastics” all the time, showing kids who had no childhood at all. Getting to the top in any sport takes about ten years of training – peak age = 14 or even younger = start serious daily training as soon as walking and speaking is possible. Not a cool prospect.
I love the age rule. Keep it. There will always be cheaters.
Anybody have any hard evidence that having an age limit prevents injuries and abuse?
Until that is presented, I’m for eliminating the age limit.
The known risks of the age rules include the rules being unenforceable and denying some athletes the chance to compete when they are at their personal peak. On the other hand, the benefits of the age rule seem to be based on mosly on conjecture.
josh wrote:
Funny, but I consider 16-17 to still be “underage”- i.e., not an adult. So the current age requirement still isn’t preventing many of the competitors from the sport being seen as “girls’ gymnastics”.
Like Ono No Komachi, I’d like to know if there is any evidence that the age requirement actually accomplishes what it’s set out to do; or if it’s all based on emotionalism and good intent that creates problems while solving none.
Does the age requirement really protect children from “losing their childhood”? (Are elite athletes at a young age really “robbed” of their childhood? Losing more than they’ve gained in their experiences?)
I think there should still be an age limit, but not 16. I would be fine with 15, or even 14. I just don’t like 16. Komova should be competing with the seniors, and she’s only a month out of being eligible to compete this year anyway, why stop her from dominating the senior circuit? She already competed with the seniors in her home country and did amazingly well.
[Quote]little pixies that are 12 ~ 14 years old have their own artistic charms. But “old” gymnasts and those 16 and older also are a pleasure to watch. Personally, I find the latter much more interesting. Maybe the little kids can throw the big tricks with less inhibition and injuries, but the mature gymnasts are so refined in comparison. I really hope FIG continues to enforce the age rule….I’d hate to see the “older” gymnasts go.
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Sigh. Not every 19 year old gymnast is a refined. And not every 14 year old gymnast is unrefined. Take someone like Grishina and yes she seems young but you already can see years of dance training in the way she moves. She has more grace and refinement than a Tweddle or a Bross, already. Now will she get more mature and lovelier when she gets older. I think so. But the fact is there’s no guarantee that Grishina will remain healthy two years from now. And it would be a darn shame if we don’t get to enjoy her now.
Artistry isn’t something that necessarily comes from age. Artistry comes from programs that pay attention to things like dance, and programs that stress it when these kids are young. Shannon Miller was a lovely gymnast in Barcelona, and under the current rules-she’d be age ineligible. This idea that artistry can be defined by age is ridiculous.
And I’d also say that we have had woman gymnasts remain competitive with younger gymnasts. Wasn’t Lilia 19 when she won, competiting against some very young gymnasts. Didn’t Shushonova win at 19.
Why don’t we let this be about who is the best.
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