A few days ago I mentioned the Chinese gymnasts age controversy.  The debate continues to rage on.  Forensic analysts have looked at pictures of their faces and deemed them to be as young as 10.  A story was dug up from the Chinese state-media agency that proclaimed one of the gymnasts to only be 13. Ok.  So we get it.  They look young.  They might be lying (I am personally in the camp that doesn’t think they are all 16 years old). This just doesn’t look like the face of a 16 year old girl:

What has been making me grouchy is the extreme vocal displeasure of Bela and Marta Karolyi – the head coaches of this U.S. Women’s team.  Every chance they get, they are spouting off in the media about the Chinese not being 16.  We get the first time.  It sucks for every other gymnast that is playing by the rules if it’s true.  But to keep belaboring it?  Especially after the U.S. women took 2nd to the Chinese in the team competition?  I’d love to tell them to shut up, because in the end, it’s making the United States look like piss poor loser.  Legal age or not, the Chinese performed better the other night.  End of story.  But no…every day there’s another story from the Karolyi camp full of accusations.  The IOC has already said they aren’t going to do any sort of investigation, so it’s a moot point.  Why keep harping on it? It’s in poor taste.

But then this story was released today that really pissed me off.

“After competing, Memmel reveals broken ankle“

That’s right. After the U.S. women won their silver medal, Chellsie Memmel tells the world that she’s been competing on a broken ankle.  “The 2005 world gymnastics champion hurt the ankle during training Aug. 4, but competed on uneven bars in both the preliminaries and the team finals.”

Let’s assess this.  For 2 weeks now, she’s been training and competing on a broken ankle.  She only did bars for the United States in the team competition, after being scheduled to compete in the all around.  If she revealed that she’d been competing on a broken ankle, then that means that it’s been known about.  And no one thought that this was a bad idea?

Let me also point out something else.  When the U.S. gymnastics team is picked, there are 2-3 alternates that are selected to step in in the case of injury.  On the men’s side, both Hamm brother’s pulled out due to injury, meaning 2 alternates were placed on the team.  The women have alternates.  So can you please explain to me why Memmel – who, in case you haven’t been reading, has a BROKEN ANKLE – wasn’t pulled and replaced with an alternate?

The Karolyi’s are in charge of this team.  Yes, Memmel has her own coach (who happens to be her father), but with regards to the U.S. team?  It’s the Karolyi’s heading it up.  Which means that Marta and Bela had to make the decision to keep training and competing this girl with a broken ankle.  How this can be construed as anything other that utterly irresponsible is beyond me.

So perhaps the Karolyi’s should shut their traps now about the ages of the Chinese gymnasts – because at this point, I would love to see some media outlet call them out about competing Chellsie Memmel.

Because I’m completely disgusted.  How can we criticize any other nation for their coaching and training practices if this is the kind of practice we exhibit?

Pisses me off.