Micheal Principe
Young athletes are starting to take over the podiums of professional sports; many of these athletes are starting to get excellent training at a very young age that many older athletes may have not gotten at 12 or 13 years old. For example, Nico Porteus a 16-year-old free skier from New Zealand will be competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. He was the youngest kid in skiing history to land a triple flip on skis at the young age of 13.
Nico was noticed by major brands like Red bull and Atomic and started competing at the national level at age 15. Many countries are short on Olympic athletes, which means they must take all that they have to the Olympic Games, but the athletes might not meet the age limit of that country. Most countries have a rule that you must be 16 years old or turning 16 that year to compete in the Olympic Games. However, if you have the skill shouldn’t you be able to compete? Jon Lillis, an Olympic athlete that is competing at the winter games this month. He said if he were invited to qualifications for the Olympic Games, he would rely on his coaches and trainers to make that decision. In an interview with Nico Porteus about him being 16 and competing at the Olympic Games. He told me, “I have been ready to compete at the Olympic Games for about 2 years now, and this is just the beginning”. Nico has competed in Major FIS world cups, X games and the US Revolutionary Ski Tour.
Many other athletes may be in this situation but are not allowed to compete because of their countries rules. The youngest athlete to ever compete in the Olympic Games at age 13 was a girl named Gaurika from Australia. Will countries change their rules on how old you must be?
Work Cited
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/83972130/Kiwi-freeskier-Nico-Porteous-bowledover-as-he-joins-Red-Bull-at-age-14
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Gestring
https://www.olympic.org/the-ioc
Young athletes are starting to take over the podiums of professional sports; many of these athletes are starting to get excellent training at a very young age that many older athletes may have not gotten at 12 or 13 years old. For example, Nico Porteus a 16-year-old free skier from New Zealand will be competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. He was the youngest kid in skiing history to land a triple flip on skis at the young age of 13.
Nico was noticed by major brands like Red bull and Atomic and started competing at the national level at age 15. Many countries are short on Olympic athletes, which means they must take all that they have to the Olympic Games, but the athletes might not meet the age limit of that country. Most countries have a rule that you must be 16 years old or turning 16 that year to compete in the Olympic Games. However, if you have the skill shouldn’t you be able to compete? Jon Lillis, an Olympic athlete that is competing at the winter games this month. He said if he were invited to qualifications for the Olympic Games, he would rely on his coaches and trainers to make that decision. In an interview with Nico Porteus about him being 16 and competing at the Olympic Games. He told me, “I have been ready to compete at the Olympic Games for about 2 years now, and this is just the beginning”. Nico has competed in Major FIS world cups, X games and the US Revolutionary Ski Tour.
Many other athletes may be in this situation but are not allowed to compete because of their countries rules. The youngest athlete to ever compete in the Olympic Games at age 13 was a girl named Gaurika from Australia. Will countries change their rules on how old you must be?
Work Cited
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/83972130/Kiwi-freeskier-Nico-Porteous-bowledover-as-he-joins-Red-Bull-at-age-14
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Gestring
https://www.olympic.org/the-ioc