December is usually one of the busiest months for me at work so I am anticipating that I will not be able to post as much in the next couple of weeks. But I do want to weigh in on the discussion about the international age limit.
Bruno Grandi, president of the international gymnastics governing body (FIG), has been quoted as saying that he would like to raise the minimum age limit once again for international competition. In 1997, the age limit was raised from 15 to 16. Grandi has said in the past that he thinks the age limit should be 18 and just recently announced that he believes there should be no international competitions for juniors whatsoever.
There are many things to consider with regard to age limit but by and large, I am tempted to agree with Grandi – though not entirely.
Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject…
- Making the age limit higher will encourage athletes to stay in the sport longer. Athletes, especially on the women’s side, will see that it’s not necessary to stop the sport at 18. Gymnasts like Chusovitina, Khorkina, Bhardwaj, & Hatch have made it abundantly clear and I believe the FIG should encourage that. With Rick over at Gymnastics Coaching slowing changing my mind about event specialists, I believe that the rise of the event specialist will also encourage longevity in the sport.
- Raising the minimum age will further foster proper progression & technique for young athletes because there is plenty of time to develop. This is essential for physical safety, mental confidence, and assurance in execution.
- Allowing more time before being eligible to compete on the senior level would perhaps be easier on the athletes, both physically and mentally. Not only would slower progression be better on young women’s bodies but Grandi is right to encourage mental maturity as well.
There are many that disagree with Grandi and some have raised valid points. As Nadia Comaneci, who was 14 when she shot to international fame at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, pointed out over on the IG website, banning junior athletes from all international competition “…will put gymnasts from small and developing countries at a disadvantage.”
“Countries like the U.S. are so big, and have so many good gymnasts, that the state of Oklahoma could compete against Nebraska and it would be strong competition,” she said. “But what about the small countries with like, 10 gymnasts total. Who will they compete with?”
I agree with Nadia. I don’t think international competitions like the Junior Pan Ams should be discontinued. There is no reason that younger athletes shouldn’t get a chance to compete with other countries. But the World Championships and Olympic events should be reserved for senior athletes.
So… what are your thoughts? I know that many of you disagree with me. Let me have it. Convince me otherwise. Until then, I’m backing Bruno on this one (though, admittedly, not on much else).
December 8th, 2007 at 12:19 am
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December 10th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
I’m in favor of raising the senior limit for safety & to increase longevity, but I think they should still have international competition. Where else would the gymnasts learn to behave at a senior international meet? Women DO belong in women’s gymnastics.
December 12th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
I don’t agree with raising the age limit to 18 b/c of the whole college thing. If the age limit is 18 then girls who would be 20/21 during the olympic year will probably decide to just go to college when they are 18 instead of waiting, so it hurts those not born in the right year. Plus gymnasts already push their bodies to the extreme. Some fragile gymnasts who normally would quit or slow down (NCAA) at 18 won’t get to and they will just rack up more injuries.
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
i think thate all ages 11 an up if qwalafide shold compet in olimpics.
January 5th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
My belief is that if a gymnast is capable of competing, has all the required skills, and could win shouldn’t be constrained by an age limit. Take Dominique Moceanu. She peaked at the age of fourteen. We all know it was a downward spiral from there. If she can win an Olympic gold medal at that age, why make her wait until it would be too late. Heck, she won senior nats at thirteen. These days, no one cares about you at thirteen. Shawn Johnson’s score at nationals was higher than all the seniors and she couldn’t go to worlds because of her age limit. If a gymnast is ready, why wait? If she screws up, she’ll be more motivated to go back and train harder. Gymnasts such as Hatch, Bhardwaj, and Khorkina show that the current age limit isn’t stopping gymnasts to stay with the sport and compete until they reach their goal. Most gymnasts will get burnt out if they wait until they’re eighteen. In the US, who do we have that’s at the limit now? Liukin, Sac, Worley (next yr) and Memmel are the only strong contenders. Wow, great national team. If they change the age limit all the girls (bross, hong) will have to wait three, four more years and they are already there. It’s unnecessary and a strain on a system that is already a shaky with the new cop.
August 24th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I believe that there should be a complete ban on all age restrictions regarding gymnastics at any level of competition. The reasons are three very simple truths of young ambitious and talented athletes. One, these girls will all start their training as soon as they are inspired and able to mimic very basic maneuvers. In gymnastics that would be about four or five when they learn to do a forward roll. Two, if allowed (and sometimes pushed) by their parents they will train relentlessly as many days a week as money and other resources will allow. If they want to compete on the highest level this means virtually every available hour of their life. Three, If they are forced to train until a certain age before being allowed to compete, they will push their bodies past their natural peak of weight to strength ratio were a large percentage of them will acquire permanent and often debilitating injuries. While it is true that people develop at different rates, it seems unfair to punish those who reach that pinnacle at an earlier age. If their incumbency where shortened from fourteen years(ages 5-19), to eight years(ages 5-13) there may be significantly less injuries and might allow some of the kids to assume relatively normal lives post gymnastics.
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