Controversy is raging in the United States over whether the gold medal-winning Chinese Olympic gymnasts were younger than the minimum age of 16 and should therefore have their medals stripped.But in China, it's no controversy at all. Most Chinese citizens don't know anything about it because their news is censored. The Times of London reports:
News of the investigation has set the Olympics abuzz, but the reports have been hidden from ordinary Chinese. None of the major Chinese news websites has published the story and some where reports of the inquiry had appeared have been closed down.If China is telling the truth about the age of its gymnasts, why does it fear discussion of the subject?This has not prevented some online debate – although several chatrooms where debate had been heated earlier in the day have since been shut down as site hosting companies censor what could be a sensitive topic.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
8-22-2008 @ 4:53PM
Maveness said...
Unfortunately, you're thinking democratically. The Chinese aren't squelching discussion of the issue because they have something to hide. They don't allow discussion of anything that is even remotely anti-establishment. The mere fact that the story is out there, whether it's true or false, is a threat to their ideal, an ideal that they maintain by making sure all news is news they approve of.
Quite simply, the government doesn't like the story because it paints them in a bad light, even if it's patently false and the girls are over 16. Therefore, they will squash it.
(And for the record, how can anyone believe that Keri Strug looked over 14 back in 1996? I have yet to see a gymnast who didn't look years younger than her actual age.)
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8-22-2008 @ 7:58PM
Meghan said...
Yes, I do believe that Kerri Strug looked over 14 in 1996, even though she didn't SOUND like it.
These Chinese gymnasts however, do not appear in the least to be near 16 years old. I'm not talking about size, but the look of their faces. Clearly if the Chinese government is handing out passports, they are going to fudge the ages of these gymnasts.
The real travesty here is for the American gymasts who deserved to win the team gold, gold on bars, and the joke of the olympics, Alicia Sacramone getting knocked out of the medals by the Chinese girl that landed on her knees. Who wants to win a gold under these circumstances??? The olympic committee should make sure something like this never happens again.
8-23-2008 @ 10:52PM
Brynnie said...
Putting aside politics, you obviously don't have knowledge of gymnastics. Your comment about Kerri Strug is repulsive.
8-24-2008 @ 1:28PM
MDa955 said...
I believed the China's coaches knew the age requirement of the Olympics. Other countries knew the age requirement. Yet, I believed those 3 Chinese gymnasts are under 16. I can understand when people say women our built small, but I do not think teenagers are that small in China. I have watch the Olympics, and most of girls I have seen from different countries are built bigger; moreover, they looked more older. When I first saw the girls gymnastics, I was shocked and surprised. I knew all the girls from different countries were wearing make-up, but I did not believed some of the Chinese gymnast were at the ages of 15-16. The age requirement was an terrific idea for the young athletes, so that they would not get injured; however, if an athlete WAS in the olympics under 16 and suffer a major injury,this athlete would of lost his or her chance of getting gold and never competting the olympics again. It would be best if the IOC investigate because people do want a fair competition and every athlete does not need a injury, he or she needs to be healthy.
8-22-2008 @ 5:03PM
TomF said...
Relative to Keri Strug I don't believe that the Olympics had a minimum age requirement back in 96. This is something that has been added in recent time, probably since many young gymnasts are exploited. If these Chinese girls are proven to be under age the IOC has no choice but to take their medals away, both individual and team awards.
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8-22-2008 @ 8:12PM
Samwise said...
Yes, I read just today that the minimum age was not put in place until 1997. But, can anyone, even the most forgiving and understanding person, really not believe that a country where the government controls EVERYTHING, would not stoop to lying and falsifying records to give their team an edge in something like this?
8-22-2008 @ 5:18PM
mike said...
This is what you get under COMMUNISM-is this REALLY where you want to buy all of the goods coming to the US??????
WAKE UP AMERICA-this is WHY you do not deal with a COMMUNIST country
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8-22-2008 @ 8:26PM
Usain Phelps said...
That 16 will get you 20.
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8-22-2008 @ 8:25PM
Usain Phelps said...
That 16 will get you 20.
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8-22-2008 @ 7:24PM
Ryan said...
It seems like some of the people who comment seem to attack a grp of people who aren't even related to the article. If the administrators of the olympics find those people underage they have to be fair and follow the rules by taking the metals away. The fact that China censors its media is up to them; it's their government they're going to do what they want. I don't think the whole thing about people not knowing about what happened because of the censorship is accurate because people are smart and will figure it out on their own, censored or not. It seems that China's government is open to suggestion because of the whole pollution thing that is going on that they were working to fix so that the air wasn't as toxic during the olympics; therefore, China's government might. think about censoring their media due to this event. Things happen for a reason, and the olympics have shed a decent amount light on what China can do to better itself. China did something about the pollution; maybee they'll do something about their media. Other country's should act this way IMO.
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8-22-2008 @ 8:18PM
miss jamaica said...
i don't find any fault with the china people with the under aged girls because if usa thief up the game with drugs why them can't do them thing to
8-22-2008 @ 8:50PM
sweet potato said...
7
miss jamaica
If a U.S. athlete dopes up, it is not OK. IT IS WRONG. When U.S. athlete are caught, it's usually because the U. S. sanctioning body discovered and reported it. U.S. sanctioning groups and the government have NEVER aided and abetted doping.
China's gymnastics' sanctioning body, and the government, are both covering up. ANY athlete, or country, that cheats should be disqualified. Two wrongs do not make a right.
I sense a selective enforcement developing, kinda like the 1972 basketball finals.
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8-22-2008 @ 10:13PM
Alan Canaday said...
I,m happy for the medalist, whatever her age 12/14/16/18, she proved herself aginst the very best everone eles had to offer, and came out a queen. Govermental control (for other than a real nationl security) of the press, flat out don't get a big Semper Fi out of me. The Chines goverment has walk on a lot of people and principles, to get that gold, arn't E G O E S that big, interesting to watch.
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8-23-2008 @ 4:46PM
CatStarr said...
See the thing is, that younger gymnast are more limber than the older girls and the moves are much easier. They also don't have the fear factor because not much has gone wrong in events for them. The age restriction was put into effect to protect the younger girls.
8-22-2008 @ 10:37PM
tim said...
He is so ugly it doesn't matter that she got the gold
http://www.collegefastbreak.com/
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8-23-2008 @ 3:32AM
amber said...
WHY BRING HER LOOKS INTO QUESTION? IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SERIOUS ISSUE
8-23-2008 @ 3:00AM
ken said...
Why is the age thing didn't happen before she capture the gold medal?
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8-23-2008 @ 7:03AM
sylvanna said...
ken: yep. wouldn't have had so much fuss if she weren't in medal placing.
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8-23-2008 @ 10:07AM
CharlieB65 said...
China Wants Gold metals, and if they falsify Passports, they can and will falsify birth records, so no investigation will find anything wrong. In a Totalitarian State what the State wants , the State gets.
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8-23-2008 @ 11:38AM
Melissa said...
During the compition her age discrepency was mention during ROTATION by one of the NBC anouncers. This girl does not look like she is 16 and it was been proven in the past that China had faslified passports. This needs to be looked at and the cover up needs to be stopped.
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