If the girls on China's gymnastics team are 16 years old...

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Buffacuse · #1 Post by **Buffacuse** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:37 pm

...then I'm Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. What a total joke.

Oh, and btw, Bela agrees with me:

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijin ... &type=lgns

kayrharris · #2 Post by **kayrharris** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:26 pm

I've read several articles about that, Buff. Of course, there's no way to really check it I suppose. It's really too bad, but they sure look like little girls to me.

SportsFan68 · #3 Post by **SportsFan68** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:40 pm

Somebody on television just said that some of those kids aren't even teenagers yet. Maybe he was copying Karolyi, I haven't read the article.

. . .

OK, I read the article. He was copying Karolyi.

I wondered why the IOC didn't insist on birth certificates. The article says that the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) accepted passports, which are so hard to counterfeit.

I guess birth certificates are easy to counterfeit too if you know what you're doing.

Here's Fanny! · #4 Post by **Here's Fanny!** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:59 pm

SportsFan68 wrote: I guess birth certificates are easy to counterfeit too if you know what you're doing.

Especially when it's the government doing the counterfeiting.

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #5 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:47 am

kayrharris wrote:I've read several articles about that, Buff. Of course, there's no way to really check it I suppose. It's really too bad, but they sure look like little girls to me.

One of them looked younger than my twelve year old.

It's disgusting that their government facilitates the cheating in that way. I wonder if the team will be disqualified if somebody discovers concrete evidence about the girls' true ages.

mrkelley23 · #6 Post by **mrkelley23** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:34 am

Pretty easy to tell when one of them has a baby tooth out and the permanent tooth hasn't replaced it yet.

jaybee · #7 Post by **jaybee** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:47 am

My 11-year old son pointed this out to me yesterday, citing the 16 year old rule.

One basic fact of life - An 11-year old knows what another 11 to 12 year old looks like.

earendel · #8 Post by **earendel** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:05 am

Here's Fanny! wrote:
SportsFan68 wrote: I guess birth certificates are easy to counterfeit too if you know what you're doing.
Especially when it's the government doing the counterfeiting.

Yeah - one of the gynmasts' "official documents" indicated that she was born in 1994, that is until she started performing gymnastic routines that were world-class. Then her "official documents" suddenly changed.

dimmzy · #9 Post by **dimmzy** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:55 am

This has been happening since the 1970s. Bela loves his TV time and knows he will get it if he 1) complains about biased judging 2) complains about ages or 3) responds to allegations about tough training.

Love him, though. He reminds me of New York's late (retired), great senator, that crook Al D'Amato. D'Amato came to the university where I was working for a dedication ceremony and some students were protesting. My boss went up to him and said, "Senator, we have another exit we can use." He looked at us and said, "No way! Let me at 'em ..." and marched out the main door, a gleam in his eyes, heading towards the cameras ...

-- dimmzy, who stayed close to him, looking professionally "concerned"

SportsFan68 · #10 Post by **SportsFan68** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:56 am

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:
kayrharris wrote:I've read several articles about that, Buff. Of course, there's no way to really check it I suppose. It's really too bad, but they sure look like little girls to me.
One of them looked younger than my twelve year old.

It's disgusting that their government facilitates the cheating in that way. I wonder if the team will be disqualified if somebody discovers concrete evidence about the girls' true ages.

I read Ear's post as indicating that there is concrete evidence. Surely there's a record of that original submittal somewhere.

Fernando Tatis · #11 Post by **Fernando Tatis** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:02 am

Has anyone checked the ages of the Dominican gymnasts yet?

Kazoo65 · #12 Post by **Kazoo65** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:17 am

I watched the gymnastics last night. I bet every girl on the Chinese team would look like a midget next to Yao Ming!

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #13 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:17 pm

The Times found two online records of official registration lists of Chinese gymnasts that list He’s birthday as Jan. 1, 1994, which would make her 14. A 2007 national registry of Chinese gymnasts — now blocked in China but viewable through Google cache — shows He’s age as “1994.1.1.”

Another registration list that is unblocked, dated Jan. 27, 2006, and regarding an “intercity” competition in Chengdu, China, also lists He’s birthday as Jan. 1, 1994. That date differs by two years from the birth date of Jan. 1, 1992, listed on He’s passport, which was issued Feb. 14, 2008.

mellytu74 · #14 Post by **mellytu74** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:26 am

This story is all over the place, as well it should be.

When NBC showed the Chinese women on floor exercise, the difference between He and the older (20, maybe) women gymnast who went after her -- sorry, I was only paying half-attention to names -- was beyond startling.

tanstaafl2 · #15 Post by **tanstaafl2** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:47 am

Lying and cheating in the Olympics? That bastion of virtue and honor?

Say it ain't so! I am shocked, just shocked I tell ya!

I may need one of those East German swimmers from the 70's to help support me before I swoon from the horror of it all...

etaoin22 · #16 Post by **etaoin22** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:59 am

Hope they can check for hormonal suppressive agents like lupron. Used to treat precocious puberty.

dodgersteve182 · #17 Post by **dodgersteve182** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:50 pm

They better be at least 18! I dated half of them in Beijeng earlier this summer.....

T_Bone0806 · #18 Post by **T_Bone0806** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:58 pm

kayrharris wrote:I've read several articles about that, Buff. Of course, there's no way to really check it I suppose. It's really too bad, but they sure look like little girls to me.

I kinda suspected something was up when I saw them pop "binkys" in their mouths between routines...

kayrharris · #19 Post by **kayrharris** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:36 pm

T_Bone0806 wrote:
kayrharris wrote:I've read several articles about that, Buff. Of course, there's no way to really check it I suppose. It's really too bad, but they sure look like little girls to me.
I kinda suspected something was up when I saw them pop "binkys" in their mouths between routines...

I bet they don't allow binkys in China....

This article was interesting. I liked the "Green Bay Packers" reference to the US team.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/13/ ... on.php#top