if a passport is supposed to be an accurate description of a person's age, then yes, lying would be a forgery in my book

8/13/2008 12:20:32 AM

yeah well we got swimming

8/13/2008 12:23:39 AM

If it is officially confirmed that they used underage gymnasts won't they have to forfeit the medal(s)?

8/13/2008 12:24:44 AM

shit track and field ain't even started. jesse williams should bring another gold home

8/13/2008 12:25:11 AM

whose house is this?

credit where credits due. they were PERFECT on the floor. all 40 years of them but its a lot easier to stay up when you dont have a butt to pull you down

crazy how the last girls was compose for this event.

8/13/2008 12:25:59 AM

Sacramoni should play for NCSU, she'd fit right in, cause...

Thats some NC STATE shit right there

8/13/2008 12:26:55 AM

Why would you give credit to a team that almost certainly cheated?

8/13/2008 12:29:55 AM

We should get plenty of medals in track and field shouldn't we?

I mean, we finished 1,2,3 in the mens 200 and 400 in Athens.

8/13/2008 12:30:15 AM

In communist China, jailbait screws you...

8/13/2008 12:30:39 AM

Sacramoni will be doing porn in about 6 months, and I'll be her number one fan.

8/13/2008 12:31:11 AM

all are track and field athletes. as i stated at the top of the page or other page went down with the balco thing

8/13/2008 12:34:32 AM

i couldnt have said it better myself

8/13/2008 12:38:40 AM

Eh Sacramone goes to Brown (although she is on a one year leave to be with the national team). I think she'll be fine once her gymnastics career is over.

8/13/2008 12:45:56 AM

so does no one care that china is cheating in gymnastics?

and sacramone sucks but she looks good doing it

8/13/2008 12:47:24 AM

i kind of expected china to pull some home field shenanigans

lots of national pride and what not

8/13/2008 12:50:37 AM

they are little communist robots. no individuality

8/13/2008 12:53:09 AM

Quote :

"all are track and field athletes. as i stated at the top of the page or other page went down with the balco thing"

Justin Gatlin is a big hit to the team, sure
Marion Jones was already retired

Who else?

8/13/2008 1:01:35 AM

all the ones that would have been created with juice over the last 4 years.

8/13/2008 1:05:42 AM

8/13/2008 1:07:20 AM

class act tho. but shes not just a kid. shes a 20 year old woman. supposed to be the captain. the kids did great. maybe chinas on to something.

8/13/2008 1:24:13 AM

Quote :

" An advantage for younger gymnasts is that they are lighter and, often, more fearless when they perform difficult maneuvers, said Nellie Kim, a five-time Olympic gold medalist for the former Soviet Union who is now the president of the women’s technical committee for the Swiss-based International Gymnastics Federation. “It’s easier to do tricks,” Kim said. “And psychologically, I think they worry less.”"

from the article at the end of the last page

8/13/2008 1:40:40 AM

cheating bastards

So, Sacramento or w/e really did cost America the gold medal:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6ffw2x

Quote :

"But Sacramone, first up on balance beam, had to wait for what seemed like 15 minutes before she was given the go-ahead, and she seemed nervous as she paced back and forth. Sure enough, as she came down to land the somersault that opens her routine, her right foot slipped off the edge of the 4-inch beam. Sacramone windmilled her arms and twisted her body, but she couldn’t save herself and dropped off. Not only is the fall a penalty, but she never did the backflip that usually follows, costing her more precious points. Sacramone bit her lip after she finished, knowing it was a mistake the Americans couldn’t afford. ... Sacramone was again first up, and floor is her signature event. She won a world title on it in 2005, and her routines usually have so much sass, they rival anything you see in Vegas. Not Wednesday. She didn’t have her usual sparkle. Or her usual sure-footedness. On her second tumbling run. Her feet slipped out from under her and she fell flat on her back. She briefly shut her eyes before continuing, but her face was a blank the rest of the way."

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 2:10 AM. Reason : wat]

8/13/2008 1:58:03 AM

Okay so I was watching some Table Tennis, and about 10 minutes in I realize... hey one of them only has one hand! Shes Polish, and she uses the stub of her arm to hold and serve the ball!

amazing, and she ain't half bad. Shame her story doesn't make it into the NBC 'personal stories' list

8/13/2008 3:42:47 AM

i bet she'd pwn if she was in the Special Olympics.

8/13/2008 4:05:04 AM

Meet Australia's softball pitcher -Tanya Harding - tough break, in addition to an unfortunate name, she's a real looker

8/13/2008 6:32:50 AM

ahahahaha, I totally forgot about that dumb bitch....I'm surprised none of the UCLA players have tried to kill her in the past 3 Olympics.

I had to refresh my memory via Wikipedia, but here's her story.... Recruited by UCLA in 1995, she enrolls and immediately starts playing. She pitched and won 17 out of 18 games and batted .444. They get to the NCAA Championship game and they win it-she is named MVP.

She was in school for a total of TEN weeks, but after the Championship she doesn't take Finals for the Quarter and drops out of school. NCAA investigates and strips UCLA of the title, saying she was a "hired gun", even though she swears it was her own decision to drop out. They won't let her play on the US team so she went back to AU.

8/13/2008 7:29:22 AM

Quote :

"But Sacramone, first up on balance beam, had to wait for what seemed like 15 minutes before she was given the go-ahead..."

wtf is that all about? why was she held up? was it chinese officials who held her up?

also whats the deal with these chinese gymnasts and divers who look like they're 13 years old. i know some commentator on there last night was convinced that they were underage. i guess it's kinda hard to prove though huh?


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/sports/olympics/14gymnastics.html?ref=sports

Quote :

"He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan may be as young as 14, according to some on-line lists, which have now been blocked or have disappeared completely."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Kexin

Quote :

"There has been a controversy as to her actual age. Her 2008 passport and the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique list her date of birth as January 1, 1992[3][4], which would make her 16 years 220 days old during the 2008 Olympic opening ceremonies and therefore old enough to compete. However, her age as of 2008 has been reported by the Chinese press as 14,[4][2][5], and her birthdate has been given by the Chengdu Sports Bureau and other registration sources as January 1, 1994, which would make her 14 years 220 days old during the Opening ceremonies, and therefore too young to participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics.[4][2] In addition, in a November 2007 speech in Wuhan, Chinese sporting official Liu Peng introduced He as a 13-year-old.[2] However, on August 2 the IOC stated that they would not be investigating the discrepancy in He's age, stating that it was a matter within FIG jurisdiction.[6]"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sports/olympics/27gymnasts.html?no_interstitial

Quote :

"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."

8/13/2008 8:01:10 AM

Quote :

"divers who look like they're 13 years old. "

Diving doesn't have an age restriction. Tom Daley from the UK is only 14.

8/13/2008 8:40:46 AM

ohh ok that makes sense, i remember seeing one that was 15 now that i think about it

8/13/2008 8:59:31 AM

^^^ They just said on NPR that the average weight of the Chinese team is ~77 lbs. The US team ~106.5.

The IOC is spineless. You can bet if this were held in any other country they'd be stripped of their metals.

Everyone knows the Chinese take the athletes they think can make it and ship them off to the camps and make them slaves to whatever sport it is they are good at.

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 9:01 AM. Reason : a]

8/13/2008 9:01:27 AM

when i hear about these kids taken from their parents at 3 years old, it really makes me not care about the medals and makes me more want to see the chinese government implode

8/13/2008 9:14:57 AM

Quote :

"But the prize goes to Deng Linlin (16), who's listed at 4-foot-6 and a strapping 68 pounds. She could take a nap in Yao Ming's sneaker. Poor thing's also missing a tooth. Please, someone send baby food. "

thats just wrong either way...honestly if that girl is actually 16 it disgusts me more I think.

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 9:23 AM. Reason : ]

8/13/2008 9:22:02 AM

Quote :

"when i hear about these kids taken from their parents at 3 years old, it really makes me not care about the medals and makes me more want to see the chinese government implode"

you realize the parents think it's a great honor and gladly ship them off right?

and if they fail out of one school try to get them into the next?

8/13/2008 9:27:25 AM

Quote :

"you realize the parents think it's a great honor and gladly ship them off right?"

That makes it worse.

China is the new USSR when it comes to state sponsored, mass cheating. You know most of their athletes are probably doping, some new undetectable, who knows what it does to the body after a couple of year, kinda drugs.

8/13/2008 9:38:48 AM

They said during the finals last night that one of the girls for China (I think the 20 year old) wanted to go back home during the training but her parents forced her to stay. She saw them maybe once a year.

8/13/2008 9:39:52 AM

why didnt the media make a big deal about this weeks ago? are they afraid of getting kicked out of the country?

Now it will look like sour grapes since we lost, but I could tell with 100% certainty after watching the prelims that they have at least 2 underage gymnasts on the team. It's freakin ridonkulous that everyone is just like "oh well, they were cleared by the IOC, nothing we can do".

8/13/2008 10:12:15 AM

well, i mean, if the chinese government has changed their passports to reflect that they were the proper age, and the government, family members, etc back up that they're of proper age... where do you go from there?

8/13/2008 10:13:45 AM

yeah, you can't really carbon date a person.

8/13/2008 10:16:54 AM

you could cut them open and count their rings

8/13/2008 10:20:43 AM

everybody knows it's impossible to tell exactly how old asian people are

8/13/2008 10:21:50 AM

Béla Károlyi thinks there shouldn't be an age limit, which I somewhat agree with. He is upset b/c the rule is there and everyone should abide by it so that everything is fair. Him and his wife have worked with young gymnasts since the late 60s. They know what a 15/16 year old should look like.

I felt really bad for Sacramone. She had a very tough mount. None of the other Chinese or American gymnasts did anything as remotely difficult. The coaches needed to do a better job of getting her to forget about what had happened on the balance beam though. That nervous energy translated over to her floor routine.

8/13/2008 10:32:37 AM

^^ True, it's almost as difficult as determining the age of a Dominican.

8/13/2008 10:35:10 AM

or cubans.

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 10:49 AM. Reason : looking at you, el duque.]

8/13/2008 10:48:39 AM

well age didn't matterand even though they are young those little girls went out there and performed so I have to give them credit. Sacramone is a complete joke. China could have had their 16 year olds and still won.

Quote :

"That makes it worse. China is the new USSR when it comes to state sponsored, mass cheating. You know most of their athletes are probably doping, some new undetectable, who knows what it does to the body after a couple of year, kinda drugs."

ya right. these are sour grapes from most of you but the fact is that their athletes are simply more dedicated than ours. Sacramone is going out to the movies and mall while I'm pretty sure all the chinese do is eat(lol), train, sleep, learn, and train 365 days a year. ya know? kind of like Michael Phelps. With a gymnist diet there is NO WAY a girl could have a body like Sacramone. Thats her own selfishness right there but those are the things we value in this country more than winning. We have all the physical talent in the world but we aren't as dedicated and thats whats doing us in international competition.

[Edited on August 13, 2008 at 10:56 AM. Reason : be a slave to the game]

8/13/2008 10:51:33 AM

wethebest is a pedophile

8/13/2008 11:09:53 AM

Quote :

"their athletes are simply more dedicated than ours"

By more dedicated, you mean taken from their homes when toddlers and forced to train 14 hours a day. Then the government lies and forges documents so that the can get younger girls to compete.

There is a reason why they have an age minimum.

8/13/2008 11:39:29 AM

Quote :

"ya right. these are sour grapes from most of you but the fact is that their athletes are simply more dedicated than ours. Sacramone is going out to the movies and mall while I'm pretty sure all the chinese do is eat(lol), train, sleep, learn, and train 365 days a year. ya know? kind of like Michael Phelps. With a gymnist diet there is NO WAY a girl could have a body like Sacramone. Thats her own selfishness right there but those are the things we value in this country more than winning. We have all the physical talent in the world but we aren't as dedicated and thats whats doing us in international competition. "

More dedicated? Do you know anything about our womens gymnastic program? Do you think the Károlyi's would let any of our girls slack and still make the team?

8/13/2008 11:42:51 AM

They aren't taken at all, they are selected in a Jedi Knight style system. They instantly become royalty and live life to levels they never would have dreamed possible and when they win their parents are rewarded big time. Its hard work and takes dedication yes. Many are sent home if it comes out they don't have what it takes so the ones that do make it are only the mentally strong and boy does it show in competition. Those girls went out on that floor lastnight and I was hating, hoping they would fall or something but they took everbody with their routines and entertained FLAWLESSLY. They are on an entire different level. Their young age is actually quite impressive that they would have that kind of mental toughness. Our 20 yeard old was completely rattled by one mistake to the point where they could were useless the rest of the night. A nervous wreck. If they had outalented us would have been a different story and I would have been more upset about their age, but they actually out executed us which is amazing.

Quote :

"More dedicated? Do you know anything about our womens gymnastic program? Do you think the Károlyi's would let any of our girls slack and still make the team?"

They still make the team because they are still competing against other american girls. Our girls have the talent and maybe even more physical talent but they, for the most part, go to regular schools, family events, have boy friends, go to homecomings and movies and have lots of fun while the chinese girls live more of a military style life with many more hours of training. I've watched several interviews and Johnson is by far the most dedicated with her diet and all but you look at girls like Sacramone and its just no way with her body.

8/13/2008 11:52:27 AM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/writers/selena_roberts/08/13/china.gymnasts/index.html?cnn=yes

Quote :

"BEIJING -- The Chinese gymnasts could have picked out their leotards from Thumbelina's closet as they performed gymnastics in miniature on Wednesday. Wearing blue eye shadow with their hair pulled back, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin looked like girls who had just rummaged through their mothers' makeup. This was a ladies' final, though somehow it was hard to see how they qualified as women. Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yang and Jiang didn't jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars' passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China. Just take a peek at the big lugs who stood next to the Chinese team. The U.S. squad is filled with women who are short to be sure, but with a curve to their bodies, muscle on their bones and driver's licenses in their wallets. This is gymnastics, so truth in aging is often blurred by a brutal sport laden with underdeveloped teens. With that context, did little He look sweet 16 in the eyes of other competitors? "No, but then I don't look 20," said Alicia Sacramone, who did not make excuses after she fell flat while mounting the balance beam. With the U.S. just one point behind China heading into the last rotation, Sacramone ended up on her backside during the floor exercise. It was a mistake that effectively put gold out of reach and delivered a consolation silver to the U.S. "It was my fault," she said."

8/13/2008 12:11:12 PM

I know you're the new troll around town, but what you're saying is exactly what the Chinese government wants people to think. They want the world to think that there are advantages to living a strict militaristic lifestyle with a totalitarian government.

Also, as it has been said before being young is an advantage in gymnastics so stop saying you're impressed that such young girls were able to win. It's not mental toughness, it's lacking the maturity to fully comprehend the weight of your current situation. If you put a 14 year old and a 20 year old in identical stressful situations the 20 year old is always going to feel greater stress, because they are not a carefree child.

8/13/2008 12:13:08 PM