EveryJoe » Gymnastics

FIG to License Gymnasts to Help Prove Age

Sandy Mitchell — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:03:49 +0000

In an attempt to prevent future controversies like the one in Beijing where two Chinese Gold-Medalists were accused of being younger than the 16 years required for Olympic competition, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced on Monday.

Beginning January 1, all junior and senior gymnasts who represent their countries at most international meets will need a license from the FIG. This license will include gymnasts’ name, sex, country and birthdate and will be their proof of age for their entire career. Although this licenses could potentially be falsified, it will be much more difficult as most Olympic class gymnast begin competing in at the international level in their early teens. For example, Olympic all-round Gold-Medalist Nastia Liukin first competed in an international event at age 13.

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FIG to License Gymnasts to Help Prove Age

The US Mens Gymnastic Team on Tour

Sandy Mitchell — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:24:21 +0000

This post is for my former co-blogger, Jeanne Dupuis who has moved up the b5 ladder as corporate trainer. She’s possibly Paul Hamm’s biggest fan. So, for Jeanne and all of you fans of the Hamm brothers, here are two videos from their performance on the Tour of the Gymnastic Superstars event.

The Tour of the Gymnastic Superstars continues its 36 city tour until November 16.

And, Jeanne hasn’t completely forgotten about the Olympics. Over on her hockey blog, Hockey Beat, she recently discussed how Steve Yzerman (formerly of the Detroit Red Wings) is taking over leadership of Canada’s Olympic hockey team.

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The US Mens Gymnastic Team on Tour

Liukin Named Sportswoman of the Year

Sandy Mitchell — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:14:57 +0000

The Women’s Sports Foundation chose Olympic Gymnast, Nastia Liukin as their individual Sportswoman of the Year at their annual banquet on Tuesday. The 18-year-old Liukin won five medals at the Beijing Games, including the Gold Medal in the women’s all-around competition.

US Women’s Softball player, Jessica Mendoza was awarded the Team Sportswoman of the Year award.

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Liukin Named Sportswoman of the Year

Probe into Chinese Gymnasts’ Ages Continues

Sandy Mitchell — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:51:08 +0000

The controversy surrounding the ages of the Gold-Medal-winning Chinese womens gymnastic team is continuing. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) are examining whether He Kexin and Yang Yilin were truly the required 16 years required to compete at the Olympics. They have also expanded their inquiry to include the Chinese competitors at the 2000 Sydney Games, where China won a Bronze Medal. They are examining whether Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao on that squad were old enough to compete.

A spokeswoman for the FIG, Emmanuelle Moreau told the Associated Press on Wednesday at the inquiry “is a work in progress. Until the work is completed, there is nothing we can say.” The minimum age for gymnasts was raised to 16 years in 1997.

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Probe into Chinese Gymnasts’ Ages Continues

Behind the Scenes at the Tour of Gymnastic Superstars

Sandy Mitchell — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:32:22 +0000

Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, the Hamm Brothers and other US Olympic gymnasts are still on tour with Disney’s “Tour of the Gymnastic Superstars.” Here’s a brief clip of what goes on behind the scenes at the tour, plus a few works from Nastia Liukin about her plans after gymnastics.

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Behind the Scenes at the Tour of Gymnastic Superstars

Shawn Johnson on the Gymnastics Superstars Tour

Sandy Mitchell — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:38:37 +0000

Shawn Johnson, the Hamm Brothers, and other gymnastic stars are touring the country in the Disney-produced Tour of the Gymnastics Superstars. The video below shows Johnson performing on the balance beam:

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Shawn Johnson on the Gymnastics Superstars Tour

Nastia Liukin on Conan O’Brien

Sandy Mitchell — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:12:48 +0000

US Gymnast, Nastia Liukin is still making the rounds of the talk show programs. On Monday, she appeared on Conan O’Brien’s show. Liukin is charming, but the highlight is the clip of former coach Bela Karloyi watching her Gold-Medal-winning floor exercise performance. Take a look:

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Nastia Liukin on Conan O’Brien

Tour of the Gymnastic SuperStars

Sandy Mitchell — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:47:30 +0000

The Disney-sponsored 2008 Tour of the Gymnastic Superstars kicked off on Sunday, September 7 in Reno. The 36-city tour features stars from the US mens and womens Olympic gymnastic teams, including Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, as well as favorites such as Paul and Morgan Hamm and Shannon Miller. The Tour will criss-cross the United States until November 16. For times, dates, and locations–and to buy tickets–click on the icon above.

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Tour of the Gymnastic SuperStars

Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin on Oprah

Sandy Mitchell — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:15:25 +0000

Did you watch the Oprah Olympics show yesterday? It was a tear-jerker, but fun. No one does the patriotic, inspriational thing quite like Oprah. If you missed the show, I’ll be posting clips from it as they become available. Below is a segment with US Gymastics Gold Medalists, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. Take a look:

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Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin on Oprah

Win a Chance to Meet Shawn Johnson and the Hamm Brothers

Sandy Mitchell — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:37:08 +0000

Ortega Mexican Food Products is sponsoring a sweepstakes for which the grand prize is a chance to meet Shawn Johnson, Morgan Hamm, and Paul Hamm in person during their World Tour of Gymnastics Superstars event in St. Paul, Minnesota this fall. Included in the prize are admission to the event on November 9 (2008), backstage passes, roundtrip airfare, one night’s hotel accommodations, and $500 spending money. The sweepstakes is open to residents of the 48 contiguous US states plus Washington DC who are 13 years or older. You can enter once daily from now through October 15.

There are other prizes, too. If you aren’t lucky enough to win the trip, you might win a ipod, digital camera, or a digital photo album. To enter, visit the Ortega Foods Web site. Good Luck!

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Win a Chance to Meet Shawn Johnson and the Hamm Brothers