Top sport is a tough world, because sport is literally a matter of beating others. The road to success is tough and 99 percent drop out. Is this a culture that suits children? That question will occupy many minds after seeing the dramatic freestyle of 15-year-old Russian figure fighter Kamila Valieva. Although traces of performance-enhancing drugs were found in her in December, she was allowed to participate in the final after days of arguing. She is one of the best in the world. But apparently overcome with tension, she fell and stumbled. Her coach said immediately afterwards: ,,Why did you stop fighting? Explain that to me! After the axel you gave it up!”
Can a child compete with the power of the adult trainer
Can a child compete with the power of the adult trainer? Against the expectations of a country? And shouldn’t the international sports federations be more aware of that? Or is setting age limits arbitrary? And is it age discrimination to exclude a young talent from participating? Venus Williams was ready at fourteen. Lionel Messi made his Barcelona debut at the age of 16. Sixteen was also the Utrecht Keet Oldenbeuving when she represented the Netherlands at the Games in Tokyo last summer. Top sport at a young age has advantages and disadvantages, there are plenty of studies about that.
But Kamila Valieva is a victim of her age, but much more she is a victim of the Russian system to promote achievement. As a country, Russia was already not welcome at the Games due to doping scandals. An exception has been devised for Russian athletes without a ‘past’. As long as they are still ‘supervised’ in the old familiar way, that is still worth a discussion. In the meantime, let’s cherish the beautiful moments of the past two weeks. The performance, and the sportiness. Take the German Daniela Maier. She finished fourth in the ski cross section, but was awarded the bronze immediately after the finish. Her Swiss rival would have hindered her. “No, no, that’s not right, it wasn’t her fault!” she shouted immediately. Fair sports, that deserves an applause.