Sounds like someone's still PO'd about placing second.
Though the International Gymnastics Federation just officially cleared China's gold medal gymnastics team from speculation they weren't all old enough to compete, we found one Olympian who was there and she ain't buying it.
1. Wah wah wah - if she didn't suck that night, would it have mattered to her if those girls were or were not underage?
Posted at 9:44AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by GetOverIt
2. The age restriction is supposed to protect children from explotation and muscle and bone stress that may leave them impaired in years to come. Younger gymnasts don't have an inheirent advantage over older competitors. It's just dangerous to compete at that level at that age. But, if they were better, they were better. This is different than Little league teams using 16 year olds posing as 12 year olds. That rule protects the competitors and makes the play fair.That puts the opposing team at an unfair disadvantage. I am happy when I see those teams stripped of trophies and banned from the league.
Posted at 10:28AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Jeff Dranetz
3. I don't buy it either. The Int'l Olympic Committe is useless regarding this issue. They don't want bad publicity surrounding the Olympics, in general. China, being a Communist government, has the insane need to show the world that they are better than other countries.
Posted at 10:04AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by BostonKate
4. they might be too young. but did their age cause Sacramone to fall..and then fall again.
Posted at 10:06AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by reader
5. She's so lame. Even if the chinese were underage wouldn't that embarras you that you got beat by kids? Alicia either needs to pose for Playboy or make a sex tape and STFU.
Posted at 10:07AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by 123`
6. She's still lookin fine as hell
Posted at 10:16AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by 714s2k
7. saving face is everything in the asian culture... have a feeling they will produce documents up their ying-yang...is it ligit ???...that's a another issue...
Posted at 10:16AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by northern gypsy
8. I love America might i say first off, but you gotta call it how you see it. Even if they found that the china girls were too young to compete, what is accomplished. We get to say we won by default to a bunch of kids who if the are too young in all essence have less experience and once, again lets say it all together are CHILDREN. sorry but lets just be happy we got a medal instead of bringing embarresment upon ourselves.
Posted at 10:22AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Ghost 101
9. These comments from the lady that fell during 2 different exercises. The girl that cost her team the gold medal??
Posted at 10:29AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Earl
10. I'd totally bang her brains out!
Posted at 10:38AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by John
11. Fact of the matter is that this is the OLYMPIC GAMES..... We are supposed to find the best in the world...Whether they are younger are older than you is irrelevant....A 38 year old woman won the marathon. If someone younger than you won it's because they were BETTER than you on that day in that competition. this isn't little league folks where you can hide behing the ref. Being underage isn't cheating...how can it be...one would assume that would put you at a disadvantage.
Those Olympics were a great show!
Posted at 11:42AM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Phil McCracken
12. Love her. Funny how much Kristin Cavalleri looks like her.
Posted at 12:30PM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Toobadsooosad
13. JSYK, analysts have already checked the facts, Alicia's mistakes did NOT cost USA the gold. Most of the Chinese fetuses--I mean girls, women, whatever, they had higher start values, so they were almost automatically guaranteed the gold if they didn't make any big errors, which they didn't. The US women were pretty much battling it out for silver, which they won. And Alicia did make some big mistakes, but so did Shawn and Nastia, but bb Nas won the gold in all-around and she and Shawn beat a fetus several times, so that's a plus.
Posted at 12:31PM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Lynsey
14. fact is, it's easier for younger competitors because they don't have the body mass to pack around, lift up and generally control during these competitions. that's why you NEVER see 200 pounders as gymnasts. so the younger, smaller chinese kids had an advantage over the americans who were trying to abide by the rules. it isn't that they had more talent, it's because they were smaller. ever seen a baby with their toes in their mouth? you try that.....
Posted at 12:34PM on Oct 3rd 2008 by joe
15. While I believe that athletes and their countries should abide by the rules, it seems a tad hypocritical that the United States team and its coaches are making a big deal of the age issue. Remember Kerri Strug? She was only 14 when she competed in Barcelona for the U.S. Of course it was legal then to do so, but please don't pretend that it is so wrong for "babies" to compete when that is exactly what was representing us years ago.
Posted at 12:46PM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Wazzu
