Short, overweight women need not apply

The Olympics are more than eight months away, but already China is trying hard to get some negative publicity for it.            

Beijing is seeking women presenters for medals ceremonies at the 2008 Olympics -- but only those who are tall and thin need apply.

Hundreds of young women will be recruited as volunteers to present medals and raise flags at ceremonies for the Games, which open on August 8, but they must meet stringent criteria. [Link]

Let me get this straight: You can't be short, you can't be overweight, and you can't have any testosterone? Perhaps male volunteers are being used for other tasks, such as beating up all the protesters.

"We have some very clear conditions and demands," explained Zhao Dongming, director of the Cultural Activities Department at Beijing's Organizing Committee for the Games.

"We have certain requirements for their height, since they are to present the medals to our athletes. They need to be of a height between 1.68 and 1.78 meters. That's above average." [Link]

1.78 meters? That's about 5-foot-10, tall enough to play center on the Indian basketball team.

There's no height requirement for the athletes -- some of those weightlifters are pretty short -- so why should there be one for the volunteers?

There was no requirement on their weight, Zhao said, but he added: "Generally speaking, they can't be too fat. Their figure should be good. They shouldn't be too heavy."

The guidance was so the women, who must be between 18 and 25 and university students, would fit into the uniforms being prepared for them, he said. [Link]

Ah, the uniforms. I knew there was a logical reason for this. It doesn't matter what you weigh, as long as you can fit into a Size 2 dress.

You also have to be 18 to 25 and a university student? I'm really disappointed in the Organizing Committee. If they had tried harder, they could have discriminated even more. They could have required all the women to be English-speaking, light-skinned and well-endowed.

Come on, China, we expect more from you.

Photo by Marc van der Chijs