BEIJING — The International Olympic Committee asked the world governing body for gymnastics to investigate whether members of the Chinese women’s team were too young to compete in the Olympics.
The I.O.C. instructed the international gymnastics federation, known as the F.I.G., to take up the issue with the Chinese gymnastics federation and the Chinese Olympic Committee and report back to the I.O.C. later Friday.
The F.I.G. has asked the Chinese for official documents, including birth certificates, of its entire women’s gymnastics team, according to I.O.C. officials. At the start of the Beijing Games, I.O.C. officials said that they had reviewed documentation provided by the Chinese team, and that they were satisfied that the gymnasts met age requirements.
“More information has been brought to light and brought to our attention, so we decided to go to the federation and have them look into it further,” Emmanuelle Moreau, a spokeswoman for the I.O.C., said Friday. “We had been given some more information and thought that this information was concerning enough to go to the Chinese gymnastic federation and have a thorough discussion about it.”
The Chinese women’s team won six medals at the Beijing Games, including a gold in the team competition, in which the United States finished second.
Moreau declined to say what new information had led the I.O.C. to begin an inquiry, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.
In a statement, Steve Penny, the president of USA Gymnastics, said: “USA Gymnastics has always believed this issue needed to be addressed by the F.I.G. and I.O.C. An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition.”
The New York Times reported last month that online records listing Chinese gymnasts and their ages that were posted on official Web sites in China, along with ages given in the state-run Chinese news media, indicated that members of the team might be as young as 14. At least one of those lists was generated by China’s State General Administration of Sport.
A gymnast must turn 16 in the year of the Olympics to compete in the Games. Chinese officials responded by providing copies of passports indicating that the athletes in question were eligible. Sixteen has been the minimum age for Olympic eligibility since 1997.
According to online sports registration lists in China, half the team — He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan — would be underage. The F.I.G., however, has said that those gymnasts were eligible and that the ages on their passports were correct.
Lu Shanzhen, the coach of the Chinese team, has insisted throughout the Games that the six gymnasts on his team were eligible to compete. On Friday, when he and the team met with reporters at an event hosted by Samsung, he again bristled when asked about the age issue.
“We talked to the I.O.C. yesterday and we have already submitted documents; every athlete is completely documented,” Lu said through an interpreter. “The foreign media keeps asking about it and it really makes us upset and affected our preparation for the Games.
“China’s team is very strong compared with the American team. That’s why they keep asking.”
When Lu was asked why the State General Administration of Sport had records showing He was underage, the interpreter cut in.
“He has already answered that question,” she said. “This question is upsetting the gymnasts.”
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I would like to think this was a simple mistake or a misleading oversight...but when information starts disappearing from official Chinese government websites....you have to raise an eyebrow.
Clearly, the Chinese team is very skilled and beat the US team...but how fair and square was it?
If He Kexin is sixteen, then the Chinese should be able to explain why they were hosting official documents that stated otherwise...and why those documents now are not accessible.
If He Kexin is only fourteen, then you have to ask how she got a passport that states otherwise...and how deep (or high) does the lie go.
Sadly, I have a feeling that this inquiry isn't going to get anywhere.....but then again, I wasn't even sure the IOC would look into the issue.
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