Ozzy. I am sure I am going to need some help from you on this one.

[Deity Dude]

Why have an age limitation onwomen's gymnastics in the Olympics?

If the argument is that they are too young to compete or it is bad for them, that is a non-starter. If they can win the Gold medal they aren't too young to be competitive.

Second, if forced to wait until 16, does anyone really think that their training schedule or competition schedule would change. The only result is that they would not compete in events with age minimums,instead competing in "junior olympics" or junior championships". In addition, they still would be handpicked at age 3 or 4 and start training non-stop until they were too old to be competitive. So if the worry is to somehow not over train these athletes or rob these athletes of their childhood, that is ridiculous.

Third, in an international sport where individual nations provide the ages of their representatives (and are obviously willing to lie) there is no way of enforcing such a rule.

Fourth, this is a relatively new rule. (14 year old were allowed to compete until 1997) Nadia Comaneci was 14 when she won her first Olympic gold medal in 1976. I'm sure her life wasn't ruined by that experience. I also doubt that her training would have been lessened if she weren't allowed to compete.

Fifth, the rule is not uniform. England has a 14 year old male diver - Tom Daley. Cameroon has a 12 year old female swimmer - Antoinette Joyce Guedia Mouafo. Seems a little strange to me.

Finally the Olympics is supposed to be about the best athletes in the world, coming together and competing on behalf of their country. I know it doesn't always work out that way, but the closer we can stay to the ultimate goal the better.

[snoopy369]

The reason for them is primarily due to, essentially, child abuse. Particularly in certain countries , children are raised from a young age to be stars in their sport; but the physically demanding nature of Olympic competition often causes severe damage to children who are not yet fully formed. A 14 year old girl is much more vulnerable to this than a 16 year old girl.

[rah]

As DD mentioned I doubt it would make any difference since the Chinese start selecting kids when they're 3.

But since threre is potential for abuse I think it's right that the Olympics pretend to give a rat's ass about it.

For other sports which are not as dangerous, I see no reason for age limits. (swimming, running)

[ramseya]

Also, younger children have an advantage for something like gymnastics as they barely weigh anything, have a high strength/weight ratio with training, and are extremely flexible. I'm not an expert on gymnastics but I suspect, training being constant, a 14 year old has an advantage over a 20 year old.

[snoopy369]

I think the risk for an injury is significant in all - running, tearing a tendon, for example. If you get an injury like that at 13 or 14, you can be severely damaged for life, much more so than as an adult.

[SlowwHand]

Younger is more flexible, also. In gymnastics, it's particularly key.

[rah]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I think the risk for an injury is significant in all - running, tearing a tendon, for example. If you get an injury like that at 13 or 14, you can be severely damaged for life, much more so than as an adult.

Granted, but I wouldn't be surpised to hear how many kids died on falls during gymnastic training. How many falls does it take before you're successful on your first backflip on the balance beam, (even if you've practiced on the floor) Falls from any height or vault have considerable danger involved.

[Hercules]

Originally posted by snoopy369
The reason for them is primarily due to, essentially, child abuse. Particularly in certain countries , children are raised from a young age to be stars in their sport; but the physically demanding nature of Olympic competition often causes severe damage to children who are not yet fully formed. A 14 year old girl is much more vulnerable to this than a 16 year old girl.

Snoopy has it right, I think. In many countries seeking international reputation (and political recognition in certain sports), childrens's natural physical development was inhibited by drugs or other restraints, and in most noticeably in the Gymnastics discipline.

But say if a 14 year old table tennis player with a natural talent emerged somewhere who would deny that or a cyclist, or if a 14 year old pole vault jumper excelled.

But I have to say I hate the situation now where almost all basketball teams have 6ft plus players or all high jumpers are tall.

[Hercules]

It would be interesting to do an analysis of Olympic success by age, discipline, and height and see if any human physical factor was influential. Like size 14 feet, or lung capacity.

[-Jrabbit]

Beyond sheer flexibility, another factor is skeletal development. Children's bones are softer and not fully formed. So broken bones are less likely. In addition, intensive training can actually inhibit proper development of adult bone structure. In girls/women, this can actually impact their ability to have children.

But the bottom line is that these girls are training intensively anyway, so the age restriction isn't helping them.

It's supposed to be a contest to see who's the best athlete. I say, let them compete.

[asleepathewheel]

If you want to see what the effects of hard training can have on young girls, look no further than Tara Lipinski.

[-Jrabbit]

It makes them get drunk and wrap their cars around trees?

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
It makes them get drunk and wrap their cars around trees?

Hip replacement at age 20.

[Tuberski]

I laugh at the term "Women's Gymnastics".

There isn't a woman out there, except teh 33 y.o. German woman.

ACK!

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Tuberski
I laugh at the term "Women's Gymnastics".

There isn't a woman out there, except teh 33 y.o. German woman.

ACK!

If you're talking about whom I think you're talking about, that was more of an East German style woman...