Posted on 08/17/2008 10:11:47 AM PDT by AJKauf
Chinese coaches tried to hide the ages of the girls with “enough makeup to shame a drag queen,” but no amount of lipstick and eyeliner can hide the fact that the American gymnasts have curves and breasts and the Chinese ones don’t. On average, the girls on the Chinese team are 3.5 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than their American counterparts....
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
The IOC is sports’ equivalent of the UN.
China can (and will) cheat at will.
I noticed this even before it became a controversy- I saw the event on TV and I thought “Why are these nearly adult american girls competing against these little chinese children?”
The one Chinese girl looked about 9
are there age limits????? Must be pretty rough getting your clock cleaned by a kid in training undies.
This Olympics has made me very proud. Americans have acted with class and grace...where others have not.
Minimum age is supposed to be 16.
They have to be 16 in the year of the olympics they perform in. So as long as they turn 16 by 11:59:59 on Dec 31 they are OK.
As for the kid in undies comment, I am not sure what advantage a kid would have over an adolescent, but the rule is there for a reason.
did you watch the competition?
did you see Shawn Johnson standing next the Chinese?
No comparison.
“are there age limits????? Must be pretty rough getting your clock cleaned by a kid in training undies.”
It’s all about uneven bars.
prepubescent bodies have the advantage on bars - but not necessarily on the other events.
I enjoy tuning in to the occasional Olympic event from time to time, but at the end of the day I really don't give a rat's a** who wins. I have a life.
Shawn still looks like she is 13-14 to me.
I have seen 16 year olds look just like her.
I have not seen 16 year olds look like the Chinese.
Shawn looked like she could have babysat those girls.
The rules exist for 2 reasons
1) It is for the welfare of the child
2) Younger children have a huge advantage in events like the balance beam and the uneven bars
If they couldn’t cheat, they couldn’t win. That’s all.
“enough makeup to shame a drag queen”
Based on what I witnessed after that 100 meter dash, the rest of the world seems to have acquired the expertise necessary to perform an after-TD celebration and a sack dance.
Yes, and I’ve stood next to my share of Chinese women, too... Being 4 feet 6 inches, and 70 pounds and look about 15% years younger (3 years younger at age 20, 4 years younger at 30, etc) than they really are.
I’m 6 feet tall - slightly above average in the US. In most places in China I tower over everyone. Few and far between can come close to looking me in the eyes, and none really match my girth (size 64 jacket, size 46 slacks).
Pretty much most of Asia has women - and men - a lot smaller than we think, and fully developed leaves them looking a lot younger...
Are they too young? They may be! But simple looks and comparisons side-by-side are not good indicators, especially when considering the genetic differences between races.
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