I really did not enjoy watching this, Bravo, but there has been plenty of press exposure of this sort of what I can only describe as torture of young children.
The former Soviet Union appeared to inflict this sort of regime on their young athletes too. I find it all quite disgusting.
I once had the honour to witness a discussion between one of the USA’s leading experts on China and a Soviet-born Refusenik. In Russia, the Refusenik said, university women near the end of their academic lives would often have one-night stands in order to become pregnant if they knew that they would otherwise be shipped off to Siberia. The Soviet authorities, recognising that Siberia was no place for a pregnant woman or a single mother with a young child to be, waived the order and allowed them to stay in European Russia.
The China expert replied that in China it would have been handled somewhat differently. If a woman would go to the authorities with a similar situation, they would simply say “oh, that’s quite al-right, report at this address next week for an abortion. You can go to Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Sinkiang, etc after that”.
While the Soviets may not have been world leaders in human rights, the Russian-majority was really not quite as cold as their Chinese counterparts. Rough, yes. Barbaric, yes. But so completely removed from humanity? No. There is also another difference between the old Soviet gymnasts and the present Chinese gymnasts. The Soviets had a style, a grace that no one could match. They had a flair that was distinctly Russian. The Chinese might be technically brilliant, but they lack the soul, the artistry of the old USSR.
No, Christopher, the former Soviet Union were not quite so harsh, I agree, but they were equally as set on winning medals at the time.
Minty: of course they were. The USSR invested heavily in high-culture. Music, ballet, painting, sculpture, gymnastics, etc. It was one of the ways they competed with the West, especially the USA. One could argue that they produced more of merit than the US did. The approach was different. The Chinese are too harsh, completely inhuman in their training and the results are telling.
Another reason not to bother watching!
If they had an ounce of common sense they would put a far higher minimum age on competition.
One has to wonder about the parents that are complicit in this behaviour?
CO: in China they consider it an honour for their children to by gymansts. They know what it entails but see it as better for the nation that they don’t complain.
I’m not sure that setting a higher minimum age on competitors would change much since young children would still be subjected to this kind of treatment.
Absolutely disgusting. But some years ago my daughter was in a table tennis tournament for South East England she was about 12/13 and she beat a boy of about 14 but a lot bigger, after the match the boys father went mad at him and began screaming and hitting him because he lost to a much smaller girl.
I never ever had a go at her for losing, I always praised her efforts and gave her sneaky hints, like when playing a larger biy always smile and mouth thanks when you win a point, it really riled them.
Quite right RR, a little encouragement goes a long way. Of course, my boy is an Army brat, so ‘not too bad,’ is pretty damned good for him 🙂
Back on point, though, what can be done about crap like this – very little, I guess…
Boadicea's Chariot 
I really did not enjoy watching this, Bravo, but there has been plenty of press exposure of this sort of what I can only describe as torture of young children.
The former Soviet Union appeared to inflict this sort of regime on their young athletes too. I find it all quite disgusting.
I once had the honour to witness a discussion between one of the USA’s leading experts on China and a Soviet-born Refusenik. In Russia, the Refusenik said, university women near the end of their academic lives would often have one-night stands in order to become pregnant if they knew that they would otherwise be shipped off to Siberia. The Soviet authorities, recognising that Siberia was no place for a pregnant woman or a single mother with a young child to be, waived the order and allowed them to stay in European Russia.
The China expert replied that in China it would have been handled somewhat differently. If a woman would go to the authorities with a similar situation, they would simply say “oh, that’s quite al-right, report at this address next week for an abortion. You can go to Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Sinkiang, etc after that”.
While the Soviets may not have been world leaders in human rights, the Russian-majority was really not quite as cold as their Chinese counterparts. Rough, yes. Barbaric, yes. But so completely removed from humanity? No. There is also another difference between the old Soviet gymnasts and the present Chinese gymnasts. The Soviets had a style, a grace that no one could match. They had a flair that was distinctly Russian. The Chinese might be technically brilliant, but they lack the soul, the artistry of the old USSR.
No, Christopher, the former Soviet Union were not quite so harsh, I agree, but they were equally as set on winning medals at the time.
Minty: of course they were. The USSR invested heavily in high-culture. Music, ballet, painting, sculpture, gymnastics, etc. It was one of the ways they competed with the West, especially the USA. One could argue that they produced more of merit than the US did. The approach was different. The Chinese are too harsh, completely inhuman in their training and the results are telling.
Another reason not to bother watching!
If they had an ounce of common sense they would put a far higher minimum age on competition.
One has to wonder about the parents that are complicit in this behaviour?
CO: in China they consider it an honour for their children to by gymansts. They know what it entails but see it as better for the nation that they don’t complain.
I’m not sure that setting a higher minimum age on competitors would change much since young children would still be subjected to this kind of treatment.
Absolutely disgusting. But some years ago my daughter was in a table tennis tournament for South East England she was about 12/13 and she beat a boy of about 14 but a lot bigger, after the match the boys father went mad at him and began screaming and hitting him because he lost to a much smaller girl.
I never ever had a go at her for losing, I always praised her efforts and gave her sneaky hints, like when playing a larger biy always smile and mouth thanks when you win a point, it really riled them.
Quite right RR, a little encouragement goes a long way. Of course, my boy is an Army brat, so ‘not too bad,’ is pretty damned good for him 🙂
Back on point, though, what can be done about crap like this – very little, I guess…