change in age requirement for male gymnasts

On Facebook, Inside Gymnastics commented on another rule change by the International Gymnastics Federation.

… a raising of the age limit for artistic male gymnastics. Citing the International Olympic Committee’s Youth Olympic Games rules and following “heated debate,” the FIG voted to raise men’s age limits to 18 for senior competition (i.e. World/Olympic), starting January 1, 2013. (The beginning of the next Olympic cycle.) …

I do like the very long lead time on changes like this.

But – I’m confused – does this mean the Men’s age requirement is different than the Women’s age requirement?

If so, that would mean that male gymnasts need even more protection from over-training at a young age than female gymnasts.

Anyone in the sport can tell you that coaches push far less in Men’s gymnastics as there is far less rush to peak for the career.

This looks like yet another bad decision by FIG.

Yet one that will have very little effect in the real world as most Seniors competing internationally are of that age now.

But there are exceptions:

… Multiple past men’s World and Olympic stars have been under 18, notably Dmitri Bilozertchev, who won Worlds at just 16 in 1983 with what many consider the most dominant performance in history, and China’s Feng Jing, the youngest-ever men’s World champ in 2001. (Also 16, Feng was several months younger than the December-born Bilozertchev.) …

Feng Jing did not make the 2008 Olympic team. But he just won the Chinese National Championships.

The original FIG Council Official News blurb dated May 26, 2009.