Some of the Chinese gymnasts ages' were questioned at the beginning of the Olympics, and it seems it is not settled yet.
Are they old enough? IOC seeks probe into China gymnasts' ages
Online records and media reports suggest three Chinese gymnasts -- Jiang Yuyuan (above), He Kexin and Jang Yilin -- may be as young as 14.
Posted: Thursday August 21, 2008 10:09PM; Updated: Friday August 22, 2008 5:25AM BEIJING (AP) -- With the parents growing indignant and the Beijing Games winding down, the International Olympic Committee wants to "put to rest" persistent questions about the age of China's gold medal women's gymnastics team.
The IOC said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated, though it asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. However, all the information the Chinese gymnastics federation presented supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete.
"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said. "The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation -- including birth certificates."
If the federation had found evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could have affected four of China's medals. In addition to the team gold and He Kexin's gold on uneven bars, Yang Yilin won bronze medals in the all-around and bars.
With the games wrapping up Sunday, the IOC wants to quickly end any lingering doubts about underage competitors.
No one would be happier to finally have closure on the controversy than the gymnasts' parents.
China coach Lu Shanzan said the parents are "indignant" over persistent questions about their daughters' ages.
"It's not just me. The parents of our athletes are all very indignant," Lu said. "They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren't they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lu said Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.
"At this competition, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese," he said. "Chinese competitors have for years all been small. It is not just this time. It is a question of race. European and American athletes are all powerful, very robust. But Chinese athletes cannot be like that. They are by nature that small."
He said the governing body of gymnastics was given additional documents Thursday night to try to dispel lingering questions. Those documents included He's current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit. Lu said the documents all say she was born in 1992, which would have made her eligible to compete. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.
"Surely it's not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birthdate?" Lu asked. "The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China's Ministry of Public Security. If these valid documents are not enough to clarify this problem, then what will you believe?
"The Chinese government and the Chinese athletes must be respected," he added.
The coach dismissed Chinese media reports and online records that suggested that He, Yang and a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan, might be as young as 14.
"If you trust every Web site but not a government...," he said. "There are so many Web sites, so much hearsay. These are not official. It is possible that all news on the Internet is accurate?"
The federation has said repeatedly that a passport is the "accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," and that China's gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid before the games began.
Andre Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the FIG, said the federation would release a statement later Friday.
"For the time being, there is nothing I can add," Gueisbuhler said.
The IOC did not give details on what new information prompted it to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.
"With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look," Davies said.
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it sent a letter to the IOC and the FIG on Friday, asking that the matter be resolved.
"We certainly believe that it's important for the IOC and the international federation to review the issue and hopefully lay it to rest because the questions surrounding the age of some of the athletes have been out there for quite a while and it's unfair to them and unfair to the other athletes to continue to linger," USOC chief executive Jim Scherr said.
"So we have sent a letter to the IOC and to the international federation asking them to review the matter and see if they can't resolve it for the good of the competition, the integrity of the competition and the good of all the athletes."
The Chinese women won six medals, including the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars. Media reports include a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, that suggest He is only 14. Asked again earlier this week about her age after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a tiebreak, she said:
"I was born in 1992, and I'm 16 years old now," He said. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."
Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.
"We played fair at this Olympic Games," Liukin's father and coach, Valeri, said after they arrived back in the United States. "... If somebody cheated, shame on them."
Added Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics: "USA Gymnastics has always believed this issue needed to be addressed by the FIG and IOC. An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition."
Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren't as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.
North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.
Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games.
Am I supposed to believe that in a country where 77 and 79 year women can be sentenced(without a trial) to a year in a labor camp for standing inline to apply for a permit to have a protest, that a Chinese government passport of a gymnast is proof of her age?
How vocal you get, if you were still on Chinese soil?
'Misunderstanding appeared' during He Kixin's transfer to state team
AP updated 11:55 p.m. CT, Sat., Aug. 23, 2008
BEIJING - China’s deputy sports minister has attributed the confusion about the age of one of its gold medalist gymnasts to a paperwork mistake during a team transfer.
At last year’s China’s Cities Games, Chinese officials decided to move He Kexin, who won two gold medals during the Beijing Games, from a local team to the national team. China’s deputy sports minister Cui Dalin said Sunday that it was during this transfer that a “misunderstanding appeared” about her age.
“Last year at the all-city competition, He Kexin moved from one team to another and during the process of registering during the move, there appeared this age discrepancy,” Cui said during a news conference.
“So it was the appearance of a mistake in the process of transferring teams that the misunderstanding appeared. However, I can right here accurately say that the ages of the members of our gymnastics delegation entirely conform to the requirements for participation in the Beijing Olympic Games.”
It was at last year’s China’s Cities Games that the Chinese government’s news agency, Xinhua, identified He as one of “10 big new stars” who made a splash at the event and gave her age as 13 in a Nov. 3, 2007 report.
If the age reported by Xinhua was correct, that would have meant He was too young to be on the Chinese team that beat the United States to clinch China’s first women’s team Olympic gold in gymnastics.
Cui’s explanation comes as officials from the International Gymnastics Federation pored over documents in hopes of putting to rest, once and for all, persistent questions about the ages of all but one member of the six-person team. Chinese gymnastics officials handed over passports, ID cards and family residence permits after the FIG — at the request of the International Olympic Committee — asked for additional documentation on He, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan.
Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible. Some media reports and online documents have suggested they could be as young as 14.
“All information is in Chinese and the (federation) is making as thorough analysis as possible of the papers,” the FIG said in a statement Saturday. “This process may take some time, but in due course, the FIG will make a full report of our findings to the International Olympic Committee.”
There is no deadline for the investigation, and the Chinese have insisted the entire team is old enough to compete.
“The international federation has required the delivery of birth certificates and all the documents like family books, entries in schools and things like that,” IOC president Jacques Rogge said Sunday. “They have received the documents, and at first sight it seems to be OK.”
Cui said the Chinese Gymnastics Federation had “actively cooperated” with the FIG and that checks had confirmed “the ages of the members of our gymnastics delegation entirely conform to the requirements for participation in the Beijing Olympic Games. “
If evidence of cheating is found, four of China’s six medals could be affected. In addition to the team gold, He won gold on uneven bars and Yang got bronze medals on uneven bars and the all-around.
He was a last-minute no-show at a concert Saturday night with other Chinese gold medalists, and no explanation was given. Cheng Fei, the only team member whose age hasn’t been questioned, was there, but did not do interviews.
Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.
“It’s not just me. The parents of our athletes are all very indignant,” coach Lu Shanzhen said Friday. “They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren’t they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry.”
Until it directed gymnastics official to look into the age allegations one last time, the IOC had said it checked the girls’ passports and deemed them valid. The FIG has said repeatedly that a passport is “accepted proof of a gymnast’s eligibility.”
But the controversy never quite went away, with new reports of age discrepancies surfacing every few days. Neither the FIG nor IOC has said what prompted the IOC to ask the federation to investigate, especially since competition was already over, but both said it wanted the matter resolved quickly.
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