Quote:
Originally Posted by LttleMsPrEp
sometimes i kind of wonder how great of a program the U.S. would have if we adopted those methods but making minor changes such as still having the emphasis on education and etc?? Does anyone know WHY they changed the age of eligibility?
|
The age of eligibility was raised for health reasons. At the 1996 Olympics there was a lot of talk about how small the gymnasts were becoming, including Dominique M. They were just getting smaller and smaller, and many people feared that eventually we would be promoting 60-lbs. 8th graders as the ideal/only type of gymnast. Pre-pubescent girls' bodies are in a state of tremendous change, and it's no time for them to be starving themselves and putting their bodies through that kind of competition. Two years means a lot at that age, and I'm glad they made the change. Did you notice how much healthier our girls looked out there compared to the Atlanta games? They've been allowed to grow up, get boobs and hips, and their joints will probably thank them for it in 15 years.
I think some of the Chinese gymnasts were probably underage, but even if they weren't, I'm disturbed by how diminutive they were. They had no muscle mass, they were just skin and bones. Those poor girls don't even know their families - they were taken from them at such a young age that they probably don't even remember life at home. Their whole purpose in life has been gymnastics, and I'm sure the Chinese government has done plenty to manipulate their bodies (control diet and workout, postpone puberty) into the perfect tiny packages that gives them an advantage in gymnastics. It's pathetic that a government can get away with it, let alone be rewarded. And the Chinese govt. does this with MANY of its Olympic athletes, not just the gymnasts. I think our athletes - especially the gymnasts - should be very proud that they've been able to accomplish just as much, if not more, without that type of machine.
During the men's gymnastics competition, the commentator said that the Chinese coach had said that he would jump off the highest building in Beijing if his team didn't win. That is sad, and I'm soooo glad that our athletes and coaches aren't made to feel that their whole purpose in life is the Olympics. I do wonder what will happen to the Chinese athletes that don't win; as someone else here said, when their whole life as they know it has revolved around the Olympics, what happens when it all goes away?
Hybrid Mode
