i like the gymnastics for the drama and mounting tension so thick you can cut with a knife. that striving for perfection.... or when a routine clicks and it's flawless. and the way it inspires. how one can watch, for example, kerri strug's vault, and sticking the landing on one leg with the gold medal on the line, without bursting with pride or shedding a tear is beyond me.

onto the age issue...
I think they should strictly enforce the age rules but i think the 16 y-o calendar year rule is over-reaching and needs amending. i can see why teams would violate that. but let's clear up one thing. you can be 15 and still compete as long as you turn 16 that calendar year. anyhow, some rules are in place because people believe they'll be broken but just slightly. say someone is 15 and won't turn 16 that calendar year. and you turn a blind eye toward it. close enough. but to have a rule where you expect some countries to violate it is faulty because it punishes those countries who uphold the current rules, unfair as they may be.

IMO, the age limit should be as it is now: 16 by the calendar year. but it should allow for a one team member exemption where a single 14-year old firm can compete also. they can also have just one 14-year old as an alternate but she can only replace the age exemption player so you do NOT have a situation where TWO 14-year olds compete. and why 14? Call it the Nadia Corollary. that's how old Nadia Comeneci was when she got the perfect 10s en route to gold.

I want to see these rules strictly enforced but also let's be realistic: gymnastics is a young woman's sport. by allowing a single exemption, it is also to prevent teams from being emboldened like the chinese and blatantly breaking the rule. look, we'll give you a pass on ONE under-16 contestant. and that make sense. suppose someone turns 15 during the olympics. that means under the current rule, they won't have a chance to be on that olympic team even if they're the top qualifier and will be 19 when they'll be eligible the next time the olympics rolls around. many female gymnasts are considering retirement by that age. there goes one girl's shot at becoming an olympian... just because her birth year and month happens to not fall on the "prime" olympic year window.

if you allow ONE age exemption player, you can compare that gymnast with the others on her team. if they all look especially young like the ONE age exemption player, obviously you have a problem. but when you stuff the lineup with three/four gals who are under 16 and then try to pass them off as 16, who is to say they just all look young.

no bones about it, if a country decides to exercise their single age-exempt player, the general public should be able to spot the youngest in a lineup.

I'm a little all over the place with this one but in summary, the 16-y.o. rule is unfair. the prime competing years for many gymnasts are 15,16,17 so the age rule takes an opportunity away from a talented gymnasts whose birth year just so happens to not line up with the olympic window. so what happens is teams violate it. of course, we haven't seen such blatant violation until these olympics. obviously the current methods of enforcement need overhaul. the governing bodies need to be super strict with background checks. also to placate any perceived unfairness, each country is providing a one-team member exemption (with one alternate if they so choose). this will at least provide incentive for teams to be honest since they're given an exception to give a promising youngster olympic experience but still encourage coaches and programs that the gymnastics governing body is interested in mature gymnasts and moving the sport away from pushing little girls but molding young women.