They're supposed to be 16 at the age of the year of the Olympics. So they can be 15 during the Games as long as they turn 16 by Dec. 31, 2008. Younger girls are lighter, more flexible, less fearful. But I think the rule was put in place to protect young girls from the sports equivalent of child labor. Karolyis is going off the rocker, but it's understandable since she coached the legendary Nadia and those girls in Eastern Europe get beat to the ground with training at a young age -- she just needs to shaddup though. My friends that are from that region of Europe have all sorts of crazy spine and joint problems from being pushed as a kid in ballet and gymnastics.