<P> In response to the changing demands of the sport, at the 58th Congress of the FIG, held in July 1980 just before the Moscow Olympics, the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 . Under this rule, which went into effect in 1981, gymnasts were required to turn at least 15 years of age in the calendar year to compete in senior - level events . This age requirement remained in place until 1997, when it was raised one more year, from 15 to 16 . </P> <P> Age restrictions were designed supposedly not so much to level the playing field in terms of skill and physical advantages, but to allegedly protect child athletes from injury . However, critics dispute the science behind the policy and argue that the answer is not to prohibit junior gymnasts from competing in senior competitions . </P> <P> On the one hand, proponents such as Jeanne Dopbrak, a sports medicine physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, contend that "(a child athlete's) immature skeleton just isn't ready to handle the day - to - day stresses that will occur ." and that the stresses imposed on only partly developed muscular / skeletal system by gymnastics are almost certain to cause damage that would persist into adulthood . Proponents also point to a 16 - year American study of gymnastics injuries which concluded that gymnastics is the most dangerous sport for girls, with injury rates comparable to those found in boys who play soccer, basketball and hockey . An athlete whose bones are still growing is more likely than an adult to suffer skeletal injury, because the bones are more porous and the joints not yet fully formed . Lesions, which are precursors to stress fractures, occur in 11 percent of young female gymnasts, compared to 2.3 percent of girls and women in general . The International Gymnastics Federation says that intense physical activity, such as that engaged in by gymnasts training at the elite level, affects the functioning of growth hormones, possibly causing delayed bone growth and the onset of puberty--although the body is able to recover and catch up later if given rest periods . </P> <P> In addition, proponents contend that practicing elite sports is mentally and emotionally demanding . Young gymnasts at these levels are often pressured to perform by coaches and parents, and ex-gymnasts have spoken out about behavioural and psychological problems common to the sport . </P>

What is the age cut off for the olympics