Blythe Lawrence:
… In honor of this weekend’s WOGA Classic and WOGA Elite qualifier, which begin today in Frisco, Texas, I transcribed some notes from a handful of mini-interviews done with Liukin at gymnastics meets during the past year. …
Continue reading – The man with the plan: Q & A with Valeri Liukin – National Gymnastics | Examiner.com
I’m always keen to hear what Valeri has to say. That’s a great post.
He’s still quite convinced that He Kexin was underage at the Beijing Olympics. With the Chinese skaters now under investigation, likely Gymnastics is feeling the heat, too.
The IOC in 2010 concluded that there’s no way (yet) to accurately, easily determine age:
… The development and use of appropriate methods for determining age is not only necessary to ensure a level playing field, but also to protect the health and safety of the adolescent athlete.
… The available methods to determine chronological age in youth elite athletes, including blood samples, x-ray, ultrasound and MRI, are not sufficient.
The large variation in the timing of puberty that is considered within the range of normal, not to mention the occurrence of significantly delayed or precocious puberty, makes it difficult to ‘level the field’ in sport in relation to physical maturity. …
The International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement on age determination in high-level young athletes (PDF)
Gymnastics Coaching.com 