Torture or Training? Photos from Chinese Sports Academies

to be fair most of the kids seem to be having a great time.

This is exactly waht goes on in Alberto's and Jerry's camps.

I think most of the pictures are just kids training, at a very high level, but is to be expected in a sport like gymnastics. Some of those pics though look very much like torture. The pic of the adult with their foot on the young girl's legs while she is bawling is clearly abuse.

Maybe the Chinese will realize that this is not the best training method since the US is taking a lot of gymnastic's gold medals.

I guess they could do this or work in factories, rice fields, mines, etc. Limited in options in a country so populated.

SalukiAlum wrote:

I guess they could do this or work in factories, rice fields, mines, etc. Limited in options in a country so populated.

our first apologist!

What's the minimum age for olympic gymnastics? I'm uncomfortable watching children under so much pressure.

As to that first photo of the foot on the little girl's quads. Sometimes I have my kids stand on my legs like that (I'm assuming the adult isn't putting all of their weight on the girl). It hurts like hell but relieves tightness and feels good afterwards, like a painful deep tissue massage. I'm not an apologist for mistreating kids but maybe that one isn't as bad as it looks.

The Chinese athletes are taken from their families and have very little contact with their parents after being sent to the training camps. Yesterday, I read where one of the Chines divers was finally told after winning the gold that her mother has been dealing with cancer for the past several years and that both of her grandparents had died over a year ago.

It is sad to how much control the Chinese government has over such athletes from such a young age.

Anything to gain face for those fvckers.

Can anyone identify what the lady in the pic with this caption is holding?

Winning at all costs: Children are put through their paces doing punishing exercises to toughen them up

Looks a bit ominous.

There is at least one kid crying at some point during every youth soccer and little league practice in this country. Kids cry, big deal.

agip wrote: Apologists and nihilists, commence making excuses and saying every country is the same. Ready----go.

I don't want to be mistaken for an apologist, but I will say this: Kids these days experience too much pressure in almost all youth sports, regardless of country.

For example, kids living in my area have basically two choices when it comes to playing basketball and baseball. They can play a few games in a "fun" rec league where the level of skill is so inconsistent that the best players aren't challenged enough to develop, or they can try out for travel teams that consume absolutely every minute of their free time. Parents of good athletes usually force their kids into the latter because they don't want Little Johnny to get left behind in his development. (In their defense, sometimes they have no choice if they want their kid to have an opportunity to develop. As I mentioned, there are no middle-ground choices.)

My point is that the adults driving youth sports development programs have either lost their minds and perspective or are completely out of their minds. I'd like to think that most parents give a lot of thought to making the right decisions, but kids suffer at either extreme.

hart crane wrote:

There is at least one kid crying at some point during every youth soccer and little league practice in this country. Kids cry, big deal.

and the first nihilist comes to the table.

Once again agip proves he's one of the worst posters on the site.

These kids should be sitting in front of a TV playing Xbox and working on getting diabetes while being fed amphetamines treating their 'ADD' right?

Seriously, have you ever been to China? These kids would be working 16 hours a day in the fields or in a shop under terrible conditions making things YOU use everyday.

agip wrote:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2182127/How-China-trains-children-win-gold--standing-girls-legs-young-boys-hang-bars.html?ICO=most_read_module

With regard to the photos of the girl in the green leotard and the woman in the flower print dress, I'm pretty sure I saw those same pix last night when I was surfing the Kama Sutra page on youporn. That's some sweet girl-on-girl action.

Looks like the OP has got something against China or the Chinese. 1st, it was the thread accusing the Chinese swimmer doping; now this saying the Chinese trained too hard/harsh.

TLW wrote:

Once again agip proves he's one of the worst posters on the site.

These kids should be sitting in front of a TV playing Xbox and working on getting diabetes while being fed amphetamines treating their 'ADD' right?

Seriously, have you ever been to China? These kids would be working 16 hours a day in the fields or in a shop under terrible conditions making things YOU use everyday.

wow - both nihilistic and apologistic in one answer!

Score: apologists: 1.5, nihilists 0.5

OH MY GOD they hung the word "GOLD" on the wall??? I'd rather my kids train hard with the constant reminder of their goals front and center than sitting on their duffs all day stuffing their mouths with garbage food worshipping the idol.

and the Daily Mail, I like their US Showbiz and Femail sections. Why don't we get a newspaper like that in the U.S.? Ohh, we do, the mags we see at the shelves along the check out lane at Walmart.

no, I forgot one strong instance of nihilism.

Score:

Apologists 1.5, nihilists 1.5