FIG Clears Chinese Champions
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He KexinThe federation said it confirmed all six gymnasts were of legal competition age in Beijing. At the FIG's request, the Chinese Gymnastics Association provided official documents including passports, identity cards and household registers that supported their age.
The IOC urged the FIG to open an investigation into the ages of Chinese team members He Kexin and Yang Yilin, after accusations were made during the Olympics that the two were under the minimum competition age of 16.
The Chinese women won the team gold medal in Beijing, and He Kexin won the gold medal on the uneven bars. Yang won bronze medals in the all-around and on uneven bars.
"Asians have different figures than people from the West, so that's what caused their suspicion," said men's head coach Huang Yubin, when asked about the controversy. "They shouldn't be suspicious."
The federation said it is still looking into the ages of 2000 Olympians Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao. China won the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, which concluded eight years ago Tuesday.
Yang said in an interview that she was 14 in Sydney, but explained later it was a slip of the tongue.
"The FIG does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory," the federation said in a statement Wednesday.
FIG Secretary General Andre Gueisbuhler said Dong obtained a credential for the 2008 Olympics using documents that indicate she was only 14 in 2000, according to the AP. Dong worked as line judge in Beijing.
"I would hope that the whole world in sport realizes that the FIG is serious about these rules and the ethics and moral questions," Gueisbuhler said.
Since an age requirement of 15 was first established in 1981, numerous gymnastics champions have admitted after retirement that they competed using false documents, including Soviets Olga Bicherova and Olga Mostepanova, and Romanians Lavinia Agache, Gina Gogean, Alexandra Marinescu and Daniela Silivas.
The only nation punished to date for age falsification in gymnastics is North Korea, which was banned from the 1993 World Championships after varying birthdates were given for Kim Gwang Suk. Kim was registered as 15 years old at the 1989 World Championships, at the 1991 World Championships and at the 1992 Olympic Game.
The minimum age requirement was changed to 16 beginning in 1997.
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Comments (21 posted):
I’ve always been in favor of no age restriction on athletes competing internationally. Gymnastics is such a tough sport, and gymnasts have such a short window in which they peak (often between the ages of 14-16) that I think it’s ridiculous to limit Olympic competition to 16+. In these days of extreme difficulty & overtraining, a gymnast usually sustains at least one major injury during his/her career, often two. These injuries usually take them out of competition for 6 months to a year, so I say – let them compete as often as they’re able. If they turn 14 the year of the Olympics, don’t make them wait until they’re 18 to have a chance to compete – they may well get injured & never have that chance. Just look at the U.S. team – we had 2 out of 6 men injured just prior to the Olympics (had to rely on alternates), and 2 out of 6 girls injured in podium training/warm-ups. That’s a third of the entire team! And that’s not even counting all the athletes injured in the months preceding the Games. Forcing gymnasts to wait until they’re 15/16 to compete in worlds/Olympics doesn’t stop them from being “exploited” (the Chinese girls are still whisked away from their families while they’re toddlers), and it doesn’t decrease the injuries (since everyone is still training difficult skills at a young age). It also doesn’t do anything to make the sport more “artistic,” since the Code of Points clearly rewards difficulty, not artistry. All it does is lessen the reward these gymnasts receive for their years of hard work & sacrifice. So all that said, I think the age restrictions should be lifted – especially since some countries can (and have for years) gotten away with cheating the rule, whereas others are not so fortunate.
And armchr, I agree that the age rule is ridiculous, given that it doesn't protect the gymnasts. I'm under the impression that most of the top gymnasts, regardless of the country they live in, start young. I believe Nastia started when she was four.
There will be many American fans who are sore losers and will never accept the fact that the better team won - they will also conveniently forget how Sacramone crashed and burned on beam and floor during the finals.
What an ugly display of poor sportsmanship this has turned out to be. I am simply aghast at how people like Stonehawk are completely oblivious to how they appear to the rest of the world when they post such comments.
Enough already - the Olympics is supposed to be a sporting event that brings people from different countries together, united in sport. Instead, all we've had is this nasty, racist anti-Chinese tirade from the Americans.
Alex Liang
Stonehawk is taking this hard and to the extreme. However, it's not so impossble to think that the Chinese cheated!
Just for the sake of argument, the smartest move the FIG could have done -- whether they wanted to let the Chinese cheat or not -- was to hold an inquiry. If they wanted to let the Chinese cheat, then holding an inquiry makes it seem like there is no disputing the final outcome AND it puts the FIG in a good light. That is why the FIG would bother holding an inquiry, assuming that they did want to let China cheat.
Why don't we just celebrate the Olympics without attacking ANY country?? Chinese and Americans ALIKE. It was a good, close competition. If there was cheating going on, that was deplorable, but let's stick with the facts: we had some great gymnastics out there.
It's not about being "sore losers" or "racist anti-Chinese Americans". Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think *anybody* on this page (thus far) has accused the Chinese of being the second best team in Beijing. They were the best, undeniably.
The issue that is upsetting to us silly, prideful, arrogant Americans who can't accept defeat (in your eyes, anyway), is the issue of fairness. The thing in question is not whether China had the better team...it is whether or not they were the best team while abiding by the rules. Of that, I don't think I'll ever be convinced. He Kexin & Jiang Yuyuan, at the very least, can not *possibly* be 16 years of age. Developmentally, their features are those of children who are barely even teenagers. Shawn Johnson, who barely looks 16 herself, looks older than them by two years at least!
It's not just "coincidence" that there are *multiple* (8, I think?) "misprints" in Chinese newspapers, regarding the ages of its gymnasts. It's absurd to even attempt to force that load of garbage down people's throats. If China thinks that the world can be fooled by government officials calling those discrepancies "simple misprints", then China is *far* more arrogant than you accuse us Americans of being.
Simply put: China had the better team, but may not have, had there been an even field of play. What if the Americans had brought Rebecca Bross? Or Russia had brought some of its promising juniors? The rankings can change drastically with even a single substitution on any team.
So please don't get all fussed with us tyrannical Americans just because the world called China out on its shady business. As you said, the Olympics are supposed to be a celebration of athleticism and dedication set on the grandest of all stages...but when a country cheats in order to win, the prestige and honor become meaningless.
ChicagoUK
p.s. People need to stop blaming Alicia. Had she hit both routines, the Americans still wouldn't have won.
Also, I find it humorous that the "Americans" are scolded for defending American integrity, while a person whose last name is *clearly* Chinese is doing the exact same thing in defense of China.
Just sayin...
I don't know whether the Chinese have cheated or not - after all, like you, I am just a gymnastics fan who gets my information mostly off internet websites like International Gymnast, the BBC etc. Which is why I am happy to leave these investigations over these allegations to the professionals at the FIG - and I would have respected their decision whatever the outcome.
Isn't it ironic when some American teenager thinks s/he knows better than the FIG when it comes to resolving this issue. The FIG has the respect, clout, resources and ability to conduct a thorough investigation - the American teenager only has google?
"Just saying" too.
Alex Liang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtB5VLxOBsQ
The seq happens 4 years ago, far before from being a star and far from the age scandal, a 12 year old Yuyuan declares her age. Deng Linlin appears on the video too, but she doesn't give her age, but she looks 12 as well back then.
He Kexin is still suspected, but not by me anymore. I believe finally she's perfectly 16. Alex liang maybe generalizes but we should admit that Some sore losers in US disguise their pure racism with a questforfairness dress.
I hadn't seen that video, and it would appear that perhaps Jiang Yuyuan is in fact 16. I'll conceed on that point. With that said: I totally forgot to even comment on Deng Linlin in my previous post! And if anything, that video makes me question her age even more. She can't be older than 10 in that clip!!
He Kexin and Deng Linlin are the most supsect, in my opinion, simply based on their physical development. Their features and physical builds are those of children...not teens.
AlexLiang -
As far as Beth Tweddle goes: If the Chinese are guilty of falsified birth dates (which I still believe they are), then she *should* benefit as such! For me, this isn't about "WAAAH, the Americans didn't win". It's about fair play. For you though, it seems to be more about the anti-Americanism that is so prevalent throughout much of Europe. (By the way...just so you don't think I'm basing that statement on speculation...I lived in London for a year and have travelled throughout much of Europe, and have witnessed the anti-Americanism first-hand.)
You're right in saying that I don't have the resources of the FIG. But honestly, does the world need those resources? Quite honestly...does one need more than the miracle of SIGHT to recognize that these girls have the physical maturity of a 14 year old?
Even if so, there have been *official* documents and news stories (FROM CHINESE DATABASES & NEWSPAPERS, no less) have already been uncovered by hackers & published by various credible sources. And those people DO have access to those (or similar) resources.
Lastly, I'd discourage you from making flat-out assumptions. I'm not "some teenager" who thinks he knows better than the FIG. To start, I'm not even *a* teenager. And second, I don't put blind faith in the FIG's integrity the way that you seem to. I'm not accusing the FIG of anything...but I was a competitive gymnast (trampoline) for 8 years, and have no doubt that certain organizations in the world of gymnastics can very easily be swayed by a political agenda of sorts. Since you or I don't *know* one way or another though, we can just agree to disagree. I posted to correct your false accusations of Americans being anti-Chinese, etc, and I think I've made my point. I don't think we'll ever have a definite answer on this issue...but my opinion stands firm.
ChicagoUK
I will say this, though. ChicagoUK, you are wrong when you say 'the world called China out on its shady business'. I've been following this story in the international media, and as far as I can tell, the only people clamouring for an investigation were the Americans. The rest of the world doesn't give a d*** whether or not the Chinese cheated; they just admire the winning team for its achievements and are frankly rather bemused by America's seeming inability to accept defeat. That, in a nutshell, is where the sour-grapes accusation is coming from. The fact that you Americans are the ONLY ones complaining. You have to admit it reeks of sour grapes...
The poor sportsmanship and blind partisan-ness demonstrated by certain members of this site in relation to the age of the Chinese gymnasts has been shocking to see by those of us based outside the USA.
For your information, none of the commentators in England (either on the BBC or Eurosport) even mentioned the Chinese gymnasts' ages. This was an issue whipped up by NBC. The lyrics of Green Day's American Idiot come to mind - think for yourself guys, question what you hear from the commentators - it's only a couple of peoples' opinion.
Plus, let me refer you to the opinion of someone who's opinion you might actually respect - Nastia. She has made a clear statement on her website congratulating her Chinese opponents.
However, the best team won and would have won even if there were no age limit. The US sent the best team it had. There are all these arguments about competitive advantage. Well, flexibility needs to be developed early but can be maintained (look at those gumbie rhythmic gymnasts); fearlessness is a feature of four-year-olds, not fourteen-year-olds; and whoever says twelve year-olds don't feel pressure is crazy. In fact, China's youthfulness has often resulted in poor competitive results. ("We are a young and inexperienced team," their coach always says.)
Extra young athletes are simply a matter of convenience. In a government-run system, they only have to be fed so long and they are discarded at the first sign of injury, growth, or disobedience. But by discarding athletes at the first sign of trouble, you are also discarding a lot of potential and opportunity. After getting through problems of all flavors, athletes often come back better than before. For the US, it is also a matter of convenience to compete their athletes while they are supported by their parents and before they leave for college and the NCAAs. An age limit has narrowed their window of opportunity. East European countries know they have to keep quiet because of prior offenses. I guess FIG has to decide whether to keep an age limit (even if some countries will continue to break it) just for the health and development of athletes in countries that will obey it. I am not sure whether it is achieving its intended result, but I would sure like to see more promising gymnasts continue beyond the artificial retirement age of eighteen.
HOWEVER I WILL ATTACK THE FIG, which I feel is a corrupt organization more concerned with money than its own athletes.
Best just to let them get away with it, right? Minimize bad press, spark wide$pread intere$t in gymna$stics in China, too.
Fine. Make lots og money for yourselves and leave your athletes in the dust.
The FIG is already paying for its complete lack of integrity in the public's eyes. EVEN GYMNASTS, COACHES and JUDGES don't respect this organization, so why would anyone else?
Who respects an institution that does not enforce its own rules?
ZERO CREDIBILITY.
I'm sorry to say but you're bickering what is fair, who is cheating and what not is getting tiring. If you can't accept FIG's investigation so be it. The Olympics is over...Get over it. If you can't accept that the Chinese womens team were better on the day then thats your problem not anyone elses. You have got to learn to accept defeat when its due.
Winning isn't everything.
Get over yourselves...grow up gracefully not acting like little children throwing tantrums because the didn't get their own way.
Common sense seems to dictate that if there was suspicion of cheating in previous Olympics by the Chinese in 2000 and 2004, and it was allowed or overlooked by Chinese coahces and their govenrment back then, they probably are guilty of doing it to an even greater degree in 2008, except now, they've perfected it and the FIG gave their stamp of approval. It makes the entire Olympics a sham and a disgrace and a terrible example to future Olympic hopefuls, children around the world.
This is a disgrace and the ongoing investigations into the 2000 and 2004 Chinese gymnasts are nothing more than the FIG trying to prove it has some integrity left...too late!
"This is to Stonehawke and anyone else that still moping over the fact that the Chinese Womens team were better on that day."
Time after time, I've seen people use illogical points to justify cheating and theft and the degradation of the Olympics. The above is such an example.
If there are eligibility rules and you do not follow those rules you are ineligible and if you bypass those rules you are in violation of those rules. A better word for it is cheating. In other words if the Chinese gymnasts were not eligible in the first place, they weren't better and didn't deserve anything.
One cannot 'earn' or 'deserve' honors and awards if one is not eligible in the first place.
Judging from past history, the Chinese, Koreans, members of European female gymnastic teams have shown to be less than honest when it came to following the age eligibility qualifications. This is the whole point of the investigation which I believe has sacrificed integrity in the name of political and bureacratic gains, at the expense of the athletes.
If you ask me, the FIG should be investigated!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2003/04/15/sc/
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