Were Chinese "women" gymnasts underage? Perish the thought

The Chinese won the gold in the women's gymnastics competition amidst charges that some of the girls competing were underage. This could just be sour grapes, of course. Yes the girls, are small--tiny in fact. Yes some of them are just now losing their baby teeth, and, okay, they have to have their diapers changed between events, but why are we worried about this anyway? Why would you want to argue that your competition has an advantage because it has less experience than you?

And has anyone heard from the Chinese girls themselves? Have they been allowed to address the charges? Surely these youngsters wouldn't mind being disturbed between bottle feedings to offer their perspective on the matter. Let them stand up for themselves--all three feet worth.

Some of this controversy could simply be due to a difference in cultures. Sixteen years old may mean one thing to Americans and another to the Chinese. For example (and the world is apparently just finding this out), in the Chinese language of ideographic symbols, the word for "sixteen" is a pacifier.

Critics have pointed to the fact that, according to other official documents, several of the girls cannot possibly be of age. But this could be explained by another fact just coming to the attention of those outside of China: that in the Chinese system of numbering, 14 is apparently followed by 16, not 15, as in the West.

So the Americans should just calm down and take their medicine--as long as it isn't steroids. That would give them an unfair advantage.