Looks like someone in the Chinese media has a sense of humor.
Yesterday’s Mirror ran a two-page feature on China’s gymnastics teams, profiling the team members and applauding them for their fine performance at this year’s Olympics. The articles were illustrated with composite images depicting the teams as a “boys class” and a “girls class” (shown here) to illustrate their “graduation” into the ranks of world-class athletes.
There’s been ongoing speculation that a few of the gymnasts, particularly He Kexin, are actually younger than the cutoff age of 16.
In light of the controversy, it’s hard not to see the illustration as the Mirror thumbing its nose at the western media: the red scarves that the gymnasts are wearing identify them as members of the Young Pioneers, a Communist Youth League organization for young people aged 6 to 14.
- Mirror (Chinese): Girls class, Boys class