What would the Olympics be without controversy…?
I’m not talking about Beijing pollution, media control and the vast human rights issues – from Darfur genocide to Tibet’s destruction to Spielberg’s exit to British journalist persecution – but about the athletes and their performances.
Gone, it appears, are the swimming false starts (and normal swim suits), the track and field drug exposes, the simpler gymnastics’ scoring that revealed individual nationalistic biases. However, the biggest controversy so far has been the age-doping.
Jon Stewart has some athlete-producing sweatshops fun below.
In my opinion, they’re tightening up the Olympics, making them more about scientific enhancements than individual gains. One would assume that the drug testing is as severe as the advancements in illegal performance drugs, so where does this leave athletes?
David Flumenbaum at The Huffington Post nails a great investigative piece (Scandal of the Ages: Docs Reveal Underage Chinese Gymnasts), where he pulls out the stops on highlighting past reports on He Kexin, the gold-winning gymnast.
So, for all of those who are still left unconvinced, I offer a collection of evidence that will demonstrate not only that the Chinese gymnast in question was born in 1994 and underage, but that Chinese officials, over the last few weeks, have systematically tried to cover it all up.
Even Wikipedia’s report on He is continually being changed to support her being 14 or 16-years-old. Newspapers quoting judges and past US gymnast greats claim that <16 y.o. athletes have less stress and can tackle the balance bars better.
An advantage for younger gymnasts is that they are lighter and, often, more fearless when they perform difficult maneuvers, said Nellie Kim, a five-time Olympic gold medalist for the former Soviet Union who is now the president of the women’s technical committee for the Swiss-based International Gymnastics Federation.
It’s easier to do tricks, Kim said. And psychologically, I think they worry less.
What do you TakePart readers think about ‘age’ enhanced athletes? The mythical fountain of youth could start catching up with our sports as well as our entertainment stars. Is this a form of athletic child labor? Drop us a comment below.
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Tagged as:2008 Summer Olympics • Beijing Olympics • bela karolyi • China • China Gymnasts • China Gymnasts Age • Chinese Gymnast • Chinese Gymnast Scandal • Chinese Gymnast Underage • Chinese Gymnastics • gymnastics • He Kexin Age • IOC • Jiang Yuyuan • Olympics • Speedo • Spielberg • Underage Chinese Gymnast
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15 posts in the last 24 hours
I think it means we’ve come a long way, if the extent of controversy at the Olympics is Speedos and young atheletes instead of terrorism and illegal drugs.
Jimmie DimmickI heard a damaging NBC sportscaster say during one of the Chinese gymnasts that the young athlete had wanted to go home to her parents and leave training, but that her parents said “no” and she had to continue training away from home. Does anyone have a problem with this??
Carol S.Chronologically, these Chinese gymnasts may well be 16. Physically and mentally, the long, grueling training that probably started as toddlers has perhaps stunted them. Look at our young gymnasts — how many 16-year-olds do you know who look like them? But perhaps the bigger issue is the little time we are giving kids, any kids, time to be just kids. Didn’t start swinging a golf club or tennis racket by the age of 3? You don’t have a chance as a professional athlete. Not enrolled in the best pre-school before birth? Forget about the Ivy League. Rather than letting talents develop through children’s own interests and inclinations, we are whittling down their choices and chances at earlier and earlier ages, stunting and deforming them so that they can only do one thing well. Child labor? Or child abuse?
Dr. CarolI’d call it love abuse, Dr. Carol.
It starts from man’s competitive nature.
Add to it: women’s nature to give their children every advantage.
Now:
loraWe are ignoring values that bring health and following those that bring wealth.