The Olympics: An Age Old Problem

The Olympic Games are generally governed by the International Olympic Committee. From time to time, various questions arise that are resolved by the IOC rules. During the current games, there was a question as to whether Iraqi athletes would be able to compete because the al-Maliki Government disbanded the Iraqi Olympic Committee in May after it accused its members of corruption and rigged elections. Although an interim committee was appointed, the IOC refused to recognize it citing Olympic Charter Rules that bar government interference in National Olympic Committee activities. There was also an allegation that the gold medals made in China were instead composed of 99% lead alloy and coated with a gold-colored lead-based paint rather than 100% gold as required.

The newest controversy relates to the age of three competing Chinese gymnasts in the Beijing Olympics. In 1996, the Olympic Committee created a 16 year old age minimum for women’s gymnastics. As per the 1997 regulation, gymnasts must be at least 16 years of age, or turning 16 within the calendar year, to compete in senior-level events. In order to compete in the 2008 Olympics, a gymnast must have a birth date before January 1, 1993.This has created quite a stir in that the three Chinese gymnasts who are competing in the Olympics appear to be younger than 16, despite submission of passport documentation by the Chinese authorities to the contrary. As their ages cannot be easily verified through document authentication, the IOC has relied upon the passports, which can certainly be easily altered.  There are several documented cases of age falsification in World Championship competitions.

It is alleged that Chinese gymnast He Kexin was born on 1/1/94, which would make her 14 when the games began and ineligible to compete. Obviously, He is a phenomenal gymnast; otherwise, there would not even be a concern. Gymnastics coach, Bela Karolyi, however, has made a big deal about what he believes to be falsification of documents by the Chinese. Despite his opposition to the rule, he readily expresses his belief that the Chinese have not played by the rules. The Chinese Olympic officials have, however, defended He's eligibility, maintaining that they have submitted proper passport documentation to the IOC with He's date of birth as 1/1/92. What makes He Kexin’s passport suspect is that it was issued only six months before the Olympics while other records that were already in existence prior to the Olympics show He as a 14 year old. Any documentation can be falsified and without a great body of knowledge of how other countries authenticate their documentation, we are hard pressed to show that He’s passport is a fake.

All of this is irrelevant, however, as the IOC apparently does nothing in the way of enforcement. Chinese gymnast and bronze medalist Yang Yun competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won a bronze medal on the uneven bars. Although her passport said she was born on 12/24/84 (turning 16 the year of the Games) Ms. Yun later confessed during a television interview that she was 14 when she competed and she and her coaches lied about her age.

By way of history, Olga Korbut won a gold medal in 1972 when she was 14 years old. Nadia Comaneci was 14 years old when she received a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics. Problems began surfacing, however, with gymnasts who were subjected to exploitation, control, and both physical and psychological problems, not the least of which was anorexia and bulimia. Kerri Strug, who won our hearts when she competed with a serious injury, later revealed that she was battling with anorexia. A 15 year old who was trying out for the Olympics named Julissa Gomez died after breaking her neck during a vault in 1991. 15 year old Christy Henrich developed anorexia and retired at 18. She died at 22, weighing less than 58 pounds.

There are those that feel that age minimums need to be in place for women’s gymnastics to remain a viable sport and to avoid the exploitation and control that we have seen with young athletes. The control, however, seems to stem more from the nationalistic view toward grooming athletes than pure exploitation. In other words, America does not nationalize their sports programs; however, China and the Soviet Union certainly have and have groomed children from a very young age to be athletes, working out several hours per day and subsidizing all expenses through the government.

The second question has to do with the dangers inherent in gymnastics and requiring a child at a young age, such as 14, to engage in rigorous training, often to the exclusion of puberty and other normal growth factors and subjecting the child to both medical concerns and deep psychological problems, such as anorexia and bulimia. It is far easier to manipulate a child than an adult. As such, the Olympic Committee felt it was incumbent upon them to “protect” the children from these dangers; however, much as we use steroids in baseball to enhance the value of the game so that the players can run faster, hit better, and make the overall experience more exciting, the athletes that we most often remember are the young ones who put in stunning performances.

Is it appropriate to place requirements on this particular sport? What level of enforcement does the IOC have and is the enforcement working? Look, anyone can alter a license or identification card. Look at how many people try to get into bars while under the minimum drinking age to consume alcohol on a fake license. To complicate matters further, we are dealing with a number of different countries, each of which has different identification requirements to be used in their country and several of which can easily be falsified.

Disputes are generally resolved by arbitration that is “on call” to immediately resolve the dispute. In other words, enforcement guidelines are in place. In response to the age ineligibility allegation, however, President Jacques Rogge from the IOC said that they rely on the International Federations, who are exclusively responsible for the eligibility of athletes and that it’s not their job to check every one of the 10,000 athletes. What penalty did Yang Yun face for her admission that she did not properly qualify to participate in the 2000 Olympics? Nothing. So there you have it. A legal rule with no back up is no rule at all.

The Olympic Games also do not take place on a yearly basis; therefore, you run the risk of being too young for one set of games and too old for the next set. This in essence also “knocks out” some of the top athletes. Yes, using smaller girls for difficult routines can lead to eating disorders, weakened bones, stunted growth, anorexia, bulimia, and serious physical injuries; however, we sure love to watch them perform. It should come as no surprise that the decision to create the 16 year old age minimum in women's gymnastics was met with both applause and disdain. The International Skating Union has also said that to compete in the 2008 world championships in Sweden, Skaters had to turn 15 by July 1, 2007. How does this affect the Olympics? There are those who say that if fewer athletes qualify for the 2009 world championships there is less of a chance for those skaters to win a medal 11 months later at the Winter Olympics.

While most other sports do not have a minimum (a 14 year old diver is representing Great Britain in the Olympics at this time), there is a certain responsibility that we feel in protecting minors from both themselves and unscrupulous trainers and coaches. There is also the question of sportsmanship and how to keep the playing field level. The only problem is that the IOC will probably not do anything about potential underage Chinese athletes competing in the Olympics as they did nothing after Yang Yun came out and admitted she was only 14 at the time she competed in the 2000 Olympics. She was clearly in violation of the rule, but was not required to give back her medals.

With no repercussions, there is absolutely no incentive to adhere to the age rule. Its one thing to require that doping not take place as that would be a performance enhancement. To restrict age, however, is quite a different matter and if the IOC is not going to do anything to enforce the rule, it would seem that the rule should not even be in place.