It’s obvious to everyone that China broke the rules with gymnasts who were clearly under the minimum age of sixteen. Mitch Albom has a little fun with the story.
What did you expect? Any country that would lip-sync out a 7-year-old singer because she wasn’t cute enough for the opening ceremony wouldn’t hesitate to use underage children to capture gold medals. That’s a no-brainer. There is what you see and there is what really goes on in China, and what you see at these Games, the image they project, is as precious as oxygen to the New Emperor of the Planet. Who cares if a gymnast is so young she is, as one critic charged, “missing a tooth”?
In trying so hard to win, the Chinese are oblivious to the fact that they look ridiculous to the rest of the world. The Chinese team was impressive as hell in wiining the team gold medal, but China has paid a price with their credibility, not that they care much. At least guys like Albom can have some fun with it.
You must turn 16 in the Olympic year to compete in this sport. But honestly. This one girl? Deng Linlin? She’s 16 the way I’m 16. All the girls are tiny: She looks up to them. Previous registrations for events suggest several Chinese gymnasts may barely be 14 (even that is hard to believe), but all you need for the Games is a valid passport, and, surprise, the team has those. Who are you going to interrogate? The Chinese president?
Fortunately for the American team, Nastia Liuken and Shawn Johnson were able to finish first and second in the all-around competition. By taking the gold and silver medals, they were able to quell the controversy a little.
