This Olympics has been weird for me as I have never planned my nights around watching Olympic events. But this year with Michael doing his thing and the women’s gymnastic team doing theirs I cannot help but be drawn into all the competition. The swimming events and women’s gymnastic events both have HUGE gray clouds hovering over head. With swimming it is the NEW swimsuit and doping allegations. With women’s gymnastics it is the under age girls. So I can’t ignore these two any longer because let’s face it people are going to start saying, “well what if…”
Let’s start with swimming. Doping has been around for years and can affect almost every sport. I was surprised to hear that at the Olympics they test the top 5 swimmers of every heat once they get out of the water. Yes this won’t catch everyone or every drug because drugs usually advance before the science to catch them but they are going to keep that sample on file for some amount of years and who knows maybe they might take away your gold medals in 10+ years. At least the Olympics has recognized that doping might be an issue and is trying to deter it from happening or catch it if it is, maybe MLB should take some notes. But if you are doping STOP it really is LAME and you will bring shame to yourself and most likely the county and you sport. The other issue is the new NASA designed swimming suits. World records are being broken with even new gold medal handed out and many people think that the suits are giving swimmers an unfair advantage. How is there an unfair advantage when everyone swimming the race is wearing one or had the option to wear one? Sport equipment has changed over time thus making the competition in sports heightened and making the games better (Kobe is not playing with the same ball or shoes as they did 50 years ago). People cannot stop science and science will always affect sports. So my suggestion to watching swimming for the remainder of the events is to celebrate these athletes for their hard work, dedication, and endurance because I know even with all the doping enhancements in the WORLD and a new state of the art swim suit, ALL of the swimmers in the Olympics could kick my butt in any race with their eyes closed and feet tied together.
Now to women’s gymnastics. Why is it that women, well girls, have to be at least 16 years old to compete in the Olympics? I thought the Olympics were about putting the best of each country against each other to see who was the best in the World? But those are the rules and everyone is playing by them, RIGHT? No way. Don’t get me wrong the American girls fell apart, they lost but they didn’t lose to a team who was following the rules that have been laid out. No they lost to a Chinese team who has many little tweens under the age of 16. One announcer said they were much shorter and thinner than their American counterparts – come on now most Chinese people are thinner and shorter than their American counterparts so throw that defense out the window. My defense has everything to do with those girls teeth. They had little kid messed up teeth and it looked as if a couple of them didn’t even have all their teeth in yet. I don’t know about you but I had all my adult teeth in and they fit the size of my mouth by the time I was 16 but not at the age of 12. And come on China we know you are a communist country so to doctor up some passports to “prove” these girls are 16 or will be turning 16 by years end is a JOKE. Of course they altered passports, I am sure if I tried hard enough I too could get an American passport made up with all my contact information that said I was 16, you think people would believe me? And if these girls are really the ages you claim them to be why aren’t they on the Official Website of the Chinese Olympic Committee? These are your golden girls be proud of their accomplishments. And why is it that the only official picture of anyone on the team is Fei Cheng? Maybe because she is the oldest and you don’t want people comparing the others to her? We get it you WON your girls did an outstanding job but why the need to cheat? This article is great (read me) and I suggest people read it because it isn’t about how to try to make countries conform to rules but to change them because they have been broken by many and only adhered to by few. After all the Olympics is about being the BEST and you can’t claim you are the BEST if a 12 year in China, the United States or any where can beat you.
With all the gray cloud that have hung over the Chinese Olympics I can truthfully say I have enjoyed them very much and I hope you have too. Until next time.
Are they all 16? You be the Judge.
xoxo
britt
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