Here’s a rub or two: The young 19 year old woman (Nastia Liukin) on the left received second-place-silver, while thirteen year old (He Kexin) on the right got the Gold. Both had the same scores, but the built-in tiebreaker did its nasty thing, giving first place to an underage gymnast. How could this happen? I’ve always thought the reason you have rules is to make the playing field equal and fair to all who participate. Does winning mean as much when you cheat? I guess that’s a personal question. But the Olympics shouldn’t personal when it comes to rules or fairness. Why is China allowed to get away with cheating?I don’t know the answers to these questions. I only know, folks, that in order to compete in the Olympics, gymnasts
have to turn 16 by the end of this year. some records list He Kexin’s birthday as Jan. 1, 1992.

It was the New York Times that first broke this unsavory news publicly along with convincing proof that He
is underage: The Times found two official online registration records that list He’s birthday as Jan. 1, 1994. Sad to say, folks, that date differs by two years from the birth date of Jan. 1, 1992, listed on He’s passport,
conviently issued Feb. 14, 2008.

Bela Karolyi, the world’s undisputed expert on female gymnastics, had this to say about the Chinese age falsification: “These people think we are stupid…We are in the business of gymnastics. We know what a kid of 14 or 15 or 16 looks like. What kind of slap in the face is this? They are 12, 14 years old and they get
lined up and the government backs them and the federation runs away. There is

an age limit and it can’t be controlled.”

Here’s what it all boils down to. There are no ifs, ands or buts, folks—He Kexin should not have competed in the Olympics. The Chinese Gymnasts should not have won Team Gold. That little girl should have never walked into the Bird’s Nest in a team uniform, much less stood on the podium.

What I’m wondering is, what will happen to the International Olympics if one country is allowed to cheat? This thought bothers me. I like a venue where all are treated equally. I like fair play.

Speaking of which, Huang Quing (council member of the China Foundation of International Studies) reports in China Daily that he also prefers to play fair. Huang indicates that not everybody likes to, though, but the spirit of the Olympics is rubbing off on the nation and its people as a whole. And I quote from Huang’s article, “Olympic Spirit of Fair Play Changing Attitudes”:

The Beijing Olympic Games helps the spirit of fair and just competition win broad recognition and spread across the country. I like to play the game of chess online but used to find my opponents resorting to “dirty tricks” when their games were doomed. Maybe someone wrote a program for such “rogue” players. Recently, however, I have noticed a marked improvement in the way the game is played. People are now playing fair and honest, win or lose, and no more dirty tricks.

Fair and just competition is the core ethos of the Olympic movement and one of the core elements of the Olympic spirit. It maintains that competition must be based on equality and absolutely adheres to the principle of “no discrimination”. And it strives to create the perfect arena for competitors to do their best.

Just competition, meanwhile, stands for following the Olympic goal and rules in conducting contests of physique, skill and intelligence with utmost honesty. Without principles and values such as “just competition” sporting activities will most likely turn into a stage for all kinds of dirty tricks and bad behavior, or a pitch for gang fights.

The unique charm of a game lives on only when it is played the right way. That’s why the Olympics is so great, because it convinces people to do the right thing, quite like a purifier cleaning up the air.

That’s a funny metaphor, folks, since the Beijing chief environmental chief is calling the Olympic air just a ‘funny mist’ . I can’t help but think that Huang is giving the Chinese government, along with those who like to win at any cost, a slap in the face.

That’s funny, don’t you think?

Happy Tales,

Laura signing off, but but but Chris is always ready with your questions about business opportunities.