These girls are not 16 years old!

[Liberal_in_LA]

I don't care how much they exercise or eat or dont eat. These are girls are younger than 16!

[Radical Activist]

1. Yeah, that's what the cops told me too.

[SeattleGirl]

2. Agreed.

The girl on the far right, especially, looks nowhere near 16. She looks more like she's about 10.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. China, enjoy your ill-gotten gold medals.

[Writer]

4. The only two with hips are the two on the left.

The rest have physiques indicative of pre-pubescent girls, and the two on the right cannot be any older than 10.

The IOC should have a doctor look at the girls' bones and hips and give a medical guess to their age, because China has systemically cheated on this since the rule was put in place in 1997. It's easily done in a totalitarian nation when the state has control of all records. According to the NYT, one of the girls who competed in the 2000 Sydney games said that she was only 14 at the time.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. You think the 2nd to the left has hips? The 1st to the left but not the 2nd.

At least, not by American standards.

[Writer]

7. In comparison, here are the backs of the US women.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. bigger hips, shoulders, legs. I guess that's not a plus for gymnastics.

[Writer]

9. Here is the NYT article from late July...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sports/olympics/27gymnasts.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&no_interstitial

[bridgit]

6. Their team leader, on the left, is said to be 20 and that may be likely...

But some are handing the matter to forensic pathologists. Early opinions are that it is less than likely they are all 16 or over. There is some info coming forward that the Chinese government simply altered their birth certificates. Who knows...they're Chinese girls born in China. Chinese documents controlled by a Chinese government that promised in advance they would win more gold medals than America. At an Olympics held in Beijing where our president was acting like one very strange dude so...que sera, sera

The American coach is filing a complaint with the Olym committee against Chinese officials for holding up the entry of her athletes onto some floors and apparatus, and in that way and with full knowledge; they toyed with the American team's performance rhythms and effected their performances.

[crimsonblue]

10. my dad has seen a lot of teens

(he's a doctor, FYI) and he said that in his professional opinion that some of those girls are in no way older than 14.