By Lin Xinyi
THE Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are now the premier tournament for the world’s young gymnasts.
So said Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) president Bruno Grandi, who believes the unique blend of competition and a culture and education programme makes it an important event.
American trampoline gymnast Savannah Vinsant acknowledged that the YOG would have been a great experience for compatriot Jordyn Wieber, the 2008 United States junior national champion.
The latter decided against travelling to the Singapore – believed to be because of accreditation issues – leaving the gymnastics powerhouse without a representative in the girls’ artistic competition.
“It would have been good to be in this atmosphere,” said Savannah, the world trampoline champion (15-16 age group) last year.
Despite the absence of a budding Olympian, the YOG still witnessed world-class performances. In particular, those from newly crowned girls’ all-around champion Viktoria Komova.
But the Russian star, 15, will not be able to compete in senior- level events like the World Championships in Rotterdam in October because she does not meet the minimum age of 16 until January next year.
While many observers believe the ruling discriminates against elite gymnasts, Grandi defended the move that was introduced by the FIG in 1997, saying that it is in place to protect young bodies from the mental and physical stresses in their bid to become competitive gymnasts.
“Everybody only has one life, and there are many sacrifices made to train in this sport,” he told The Straits Times.
“The athlete must be mature and decide that she wants this. Not parents or coaches of an eight-year-old choosing her life for her. In some countries, gymnasts are punished if they don’t obey instructions. It’s like being in prison.”
