That is an interesting book; I've read it, too.
I think it is an important point that other athletes are training hard at a young age. Are they being pressured to do that or do they just have internal drive?
I think the 16 yr. minimum age limit for gymnastics is totally ineffective. First of all, wouldn't that increase abuses resulting from trying to stay prepubescent? If a girl is prepubescent, she doesn't have to abuse her body, right? But the older she is the more she has to struggle to stay girlish.
Secondly, it is inconsistent--don't young female divers have an advantage? It sure appeared that way, but I don't know of an age limit in that sport.
Thirdly, it is apparently unenforceable.
If we seriously think that these things are not appropriate for children to train for and perform at the Olympics, maybe they shouldn't be Olympic sports.
About playing down--I think entering a tae kwon do competition at a lower belt level is dishonest and contrary to the tenets of the sport. I have a black belt in TKD myself and I know that this is not practiced at our dojang. So "everyone" is not doing it.
However, I don't think that the boy in the article was playing down. He was in the right age group. We don't know the reasons that his parents didn't choose to have him participate in another league. Maybe it wasn't feasible for some reason.
