Jennyfacé
I think that although the atheltes should be stripped of their medals, it's not necessarily their fault.
Some say that they should have been disqualified before the Olympics, but that couldn't be helped.
The only reason the IOC's investigating it now is because the pressure intensified later on in the games.
Everyone had suspicions from the very beginning. The IOC just didn't want to take action until after the games because they were afraid of China's reaction. They could have just taken their punishment, or they could have cancelled the Olympics or started a war. They were just being cautious.
Some are saying that the athletes deserve the medals anyway, because they won. Some even say that the US should just suck it up because a bunch of 12 year olds beat us.
In women's gymnastics, being younger is a huge advantage. 12 year olds are about 30 pounds lighter and 8 inches shorter than 16 year olds. They're more flexible due to their age as well. The smaller you are, the bigger of an advantage you have. A female gymnast's peak is at about 11-14 years old.
When athletes such as Shawn Johnson were that age, they were much better than they are now.
Gymnastics in China are very different from other countries as well.
They're taken away from their families at the age of 3 for intense training their entire lives.
The Chinese government doesn't give them voices. Such intese training at such a young age gives them medical problems that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
The entire point of the olympic games is to bring countries together and promote good sportsmanship.
Being the host country does not excuse you from cheating.
