Weightlifting Should Be Allowed

With a growing interest in weight training younger children are beginning to lift weights. Which brings about questions about when children should be allowed to start lifting and what degree of difficulty should they be allowed to attempt. This topic has sparked a debate about whether or not a person under the age of eighteen should be allowed to competitively lift weights in the Olympics. Many believe that the risk of injuring children is not worth the opportunity for them to succeed in the Olympics. The risk is not as enormous as it is made out to be. Anyone who has a fully mature body and is over the age of thirteen should be allowed to participate in Olympic weightlifting. If done correctly lifting weights is a great way to stay active and healthy for a person of any age.
One of

the main arguments against people under eighteen competing is that it is harmful to lifters body.

It has long been thought that lifting weights at a very young age could stunt a child's growth, but more recent research has found that to be an inaccurate assumption. Dr. Na’ana Constantini was asked if lifting could stunt growth and his response was “ Lifting weights is not dangerous for teenagers if done correctly, with weights up to five kilos or so. It can do them good, by improving their motor ability” (qtd. in Siegel). I agree with this quote, but I feel that the weight mentioned is too broad. A weight of five kilos is only a little over eleven pounds, which would be appropriate for some teens, but the limit to lifting should not be set by age but rather by physical maturity. “ The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids avoid advanced use of weights such as in competitive sports of weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding until their bodies

reach full development, usually at age 15-18”(Liddane). Once someone has reached full physical maturity there are no dangers to their physical health that are not dangers to all weightlifters. The age of physical maturity cannot be set exactly because every child matures at their own unique rate. This change in rate makes it possible for some to become physically mature at the age of thirteen, while others may not become physically mature until after they are eighteen. Once a child reaches physical maturity stunting growth is not a threat, and upto that point, it is only a risk if the child is using weights that are substantially greater than what they should be lifting. A vast amount of weight on a young body can crush growth plates, but it is not a threat with proper supervision.
Beginning to practice weightlifting before full physical maturity is another concern involving the physical health of the underdeveloped teens. Weight training, if handled correctly, can even be beneficial to children. A study of children “ages 5-11 showed that a high-repetition, moderate-weight regimen was better that a low-repetition, heavy-weight combination for kids beginning resistance training” (Liddane). Children should be able to begin weight training as early as five years old with no damaging side-effects if they are correctly supervised and are physically able. Children should be able to train on a moderate-weight regimen until they have reached full physical maturity, then they should be able to progress to a heavy-weight regimen.
In view of the fact that teen boys have lower testosterone levels many people think that lifting weights will do them no good. William Barnes said, “ The simple answer is that in physical terms, there is a significant difference between a 14-year-old and an 18-year-old”(qtd. in Infanti). Barnes statement is correct most of the time. Most fourteen year-old boys don’t have the testosterone present in their bodies to be able to build muscle mass, but some teenage boys mature at a much younger age than others. In addition to this teenage girls can mature at even a younger age than teenage boys. Dr. Na’ama Constantini said,”It was thought that younger boys and teenagers don’t have testosterone, so that it couldn’t improve muscle functioning, but that is not true; it builds muscles less in younger boys, but there still is an effect”(qtd. in Siegel). Which means that even if the child is too young to have adequate testosterone for mass building they can still benefit from lifting.
Since the Olympics are seen all over the world, there are also great benefits for competitors. Many competitors receive endorsements for sponsoring a company or using the company's products. One of the many companies looking to sponsor athletes at the Olympics is Nike. Scott Reames, Nike’s senior communications manager in 2000, said “We [, Nike,] happen to believe that athlete endorsements when used as part and parcel of a marketing plan and when athletes are using and performing with your products truly are a great way to market your products” (qtd. in “$9bn”). Endorsers are not only out there waiting for Olympic athletes to sponsor, but they are also out searching for potential talent. Scott Reames comment on sponsoring athletes was “That is one thing we don’t talk about (the amount of money spent on athletes). Let’s just say it’s huge” (qtd. in “$9bn”)! Nike is in no way shy about putting money down for the athletes they would like to see wear Nike gear. “The company is valued at a whopping $9bn” and “spent $978m for advertising and marketing for the year ending May 31, 2000”(“$9bn”). There are plenty of sponsors that can “afford to spend a fortune on securing elite athletes to endorse their products”(“$9bn”). That means there are great opportunities for successful athletes. Young weightlifters should have the opportunity to participate in the Olympics so that they may also have the opportunity to receive endorsements from sponsors.
Another reason that people as young as thirteen should be able to participate in Olympic weightlifting is that most athletes have a small window of success. No one athlete can be the best forever. Most athletes usually hit a career high point only once, and after they start to decline they are never as good as they once were. Some athletes will hit their high early in their career. If that is the case with a young teenage weightlifter they may only have one opportunity to compete at the Olympic level. If there were a rule saying no person under the age of eighteen can participate in Olympic weightlifting, then that young athlete may never get their opportunity to show what they are capable of.
In summation, there are good reasons both for and against people under the age of eighteen participating in Olympic weightlifting. Advances in science and technology will continue to show how to make weightlifting safer and more efficient for children and teens. It has already been shown that weightlifting can be beneficial to children of almost all ages. That along with the fact that some children mature physically much faster that other children make it completely reasonable to allow people as young as thirteen to participate in Olympic weightlifting.