With all the interest in China's performance at the London 2012 Olympics, distressing photos have emerged on Chinese blogs and forums of the way in which many children are forced to train by the state.

Every time a Chinese athlete does well in international competition, it "adds powder" to the face of the Chinese Communist regime, so apparently, brutalizing young children is an acceptable price to pay.

Many Chinese netizens were horrified by the photos, although some had experience of being pressured by the regime to allow their own children to join the 'elite' training squads in gymnastics, particularly.

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