China Wins In The Spectacle Of The Olympics, But Fails Where It Counts Most
If you've been watching the Beijing Olympics, by now you are well aware of the controversy surrounding the women's Chinese gymnastic team and the alleged use of underage athletes. According to Olympic rules, a participant must turn 16 within the same year as the Olympics, so they can still be 15 at the time of competition — but even this does not explain the inexplicably young looking women/girl Chinese gymnasts, some of whom are missing baby teeth.
Bela Karolyi, the most famous gymnastic coach in the world has made it clear in color commentary and interviews that the Chinese women's team had girls who were well under the age limit but there was nothing that could be done about it. China issues the passports for its athletes and clearly, being a fascist state has its privileges.
The question for me isn't that these girls shouldn't be participating, because clearly, they are stellar athletes. The real issue is that the Chinese are breaking the rules and as the host country, their flagrant disregard of the rules compromises the overall integrity of the entire competitive spirit of the Olympics. But again, without proof, it's all just hearsay and conjecture, and few will have the temerity to make an issue of proving these girls are underage.
Dominique Dawes, who won bronze in Barcelona and Atlanta, may be better known for her infectious smile and composure than her Olympic performances. That said, Dominique (seen in the above video) does the familiar dance of saying the Chinese cheated (they won the gold in the overall team competition) without saying they cheated. She should win a gold medal in diplomacy.
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