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But what I am more curious to know is why the kid's parents named their DAUGHTER, He
BEIJING (AP)—Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government’s news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week.
In its report Nov. 3, Xinhua identified He as one of “10 big new stars” who made a splash at China’s Cities Games. It gave her age as 13 and reported that she beat Yang Yilin on the uneven bars at those games. In the final, “this little girl” pulled off a difficult release move on the bars known as the Li Na, named for another Chinese gymnast, Xinhua said in the report, which appeared on one of its Web sites, www.hb.xinhuanet.com
The Associated Press found the Xinhua report on the site Thursday morning and saved a copy of the page. Later that afternoon, the Web site was still working but the page was no longer accessible. Sports editors at the state-run news agency would not comment for publication.
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 on Wednesday and clinched China’s first women’s team Olympic gold in gymnastics. He is also a favorite for gold in Monday’s uneven bars final.
Yang was also on Wednesday’s winning team. Questions have also been raised about her age and that of a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan.
BEIJING - AUGUST 13: He Kexin…
Getty Images - Aug 13, 1:01 am EDT
Gymnasts have to be 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible for the games. He’s birthday is listed as Jan. 1, 1992.
Chinese authorities insist that all three are old enough to compete. He herself told reporters after Wednesday’s final that “my real age is 16. I don’t pay any attention to what everyone says.”
Zhang Hongliang, an official with China’s gymnastics delegation at the games, said Thursday the differing ages which have appeared in Chinese media reports had not been checked in advance with the gymnastics federation.
“It’s definitely a mistake,” Zhang said of the Xinhua report, speaking in a telephone interview. “Never has any media outlet called me to check the athletes’ ages.”
Asked whether the federation had changed their ages to make them eligible, Zhang said: “We are a sports department. How would we have the ability to do that?”
“We already explained this very clearly. There’s no need to discuss this thing again.”
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has said repeatedly that a passport is the “accepted proof of a gymnast’s eligibility,” and that He and China’s other gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls’ passports and deemed them valid.
A May 23 story in the China Daily newspaper, the official English-language paper of the Chinese government, said He was 14. The story was later corrected to list her as 16.
“This is not a USAG issue,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “The FIG and the IOC are the proper bodies to handle this.”
But what I am more curious to know is why the kid's parents named their DAUGHTER, He
It's obvious He is not 16. She doesn't even look 12. He is probably 10.
China doesn't care though. And no one can do anything about it
The Chinese government is cheating and underhanded ? Nooooooooo
Okay let's all pretend to be surprised because making that face is fun.
Here we go now..
im so shocked
man im actually watching the gymnastics and the US gymnast girls are getting hosed on their scores....coincidentally, the Chinese girls are getting some major homecooking from the judges. In fact, the Chinese got major homecooking in the team compe ion.
The Olympics are such a farce. Not only are the Chinese using illegal female gymnasts, but it doesn't matter what other countries do, the Chinese gymnasts are being handed the Gold Medals by the judges.....
Honestly, if I were the rest of the non-Chinese female gymnasts, I would purposely fault every event, just to show up the judges and make a statement that they refuse to put their bodies through just to be screwed over on the scoring......
its the communists games, tell someone who cares....bigbrother is watchin you
We still finished 1-2, because they had NO choice but to award us the Gold-Silver. It shouldn't have even been close, but our ladies were DOMINANT tonight.
He is her last name. Kexin or Ke Xin is her first name.
The first character is He. Second is Ke and third is Xin
何可欣
And it's pronounced kind of like her but without the "r" if that makes sense.
With all this pressure against the IOC to investigate, it sure is taking them a long time to find their balls and do it!
I just want to know who has been abusing those poor Chinese girls. A couple of them have missing teeth, and that's the only explanation when you're 16.
Looks like they are finally going to investigate this matter...
http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/world/un...-fig-3151.html
About ing time!!!
Next investigate if all the women on the Brazill soccer team were women.
Their source is a hacker, China didn't delete this 's files.
Lies and deception from a communist country during the olympics? What a shocker.
jackie's hair by mimis touch
Because the world doesn't revolve around the English language, silly.
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/bei...v=ap&type=lgns
This is complete bull . They ask how could you NOT trust a governement, but yet state the discrepancies in years' past how GOVERNMENT TEAMS have gotten away with underage gymnasts before. Bull ...bull ...BULL !Gymnasts’ parents “indignant” over age questions
By NANCY ARMOUR and JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 33 minutes ago
More 2008 Olympics Videos 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 do entation—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 compe ors.
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 su ion. 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 compe ion, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese,” he said. “Chinese compe ors 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 do ents Thursday night to try to dispel lingering questions. Those do ents included He’s current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit. Lu said the do ents 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 do ents are still not sufficient proof of her birthdate?” Lu asked. “The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The iden y card was issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security. If these valid do ents 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 compe ion 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 compe ion, the integrity of the compe ion 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 le, 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 compe ion.”
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.
Armour is an AP National Writer; Leicester is an AP Olympics columnist. AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson contributed to this report.
Can we carbon date the birth certificates?
Better idea. Let's chop the Chinese gymnasts in half. I've heard that you can tell how old they are by counting their rings.
This definitely puts a in their armor.
Come on now. Stop with all the gobbledygook. There's nothing to hint that the results were slanted. We can't possabwy know everyting!
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