Another Chinese Olympic Scandal
We thought some of those girls looked quite young!
The Associated Press has dug up some Chinese media reports that show one of the girls who helped the Chinese women's gymnastics team capture gold at the Olympics on Tuesday did not meet minimum age requirements for competition.
Apparently, just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13!
Gymnasts have to be or turn 16 years old during the Olympic year to be eligible for the games. That would have totally made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week!!
In its report on November 3rd, Xinhua identified He as one of "10 big new stars" who made a splash at China's Cities Games
The AP found the Xinhua report on the site Thursday morning and saved a copy of the page.
Later that afternoon, the website was still working but the page was no longer accessible. Sports editors at the state-run news agency would not comment for publication.
Shady, shady!
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. Never has any media outlet called me to check the athletes' ages."
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 International Olympics Committee also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid.
We wonder how easy it is to doctor passports in China!
Can't they do DNA tests to determine age?
Maybe the IOC should look into that for the 2012 London games to make sure everything is fair!!
[Image via Getty Images.]
Man On The Hunt
Return of The Verve
Re: eep – wrong. a blood type test tells what blood type you are. a dna test looks at your genetic makeup.
Regarding DI Jordan-
Yes, there were other factors at work besides what I mentioned. The scoring was inexcusably slow, as were the wait periods. Am I saying the U.S. wins if China doesn't have pre-pubescents? NO. All I'm saying is that it is ridiculous for anyone to predict any outcome, of any competition, particularly gymnastics, when a big variable has been changed. Big chance the U.S. still wisn silver, but the key word is chance. It doesn't matter- cheating is cheating. Everyone on here hating on the U.S. team is just reprehensible. No, they did not perform their best, but I guarantee you no one on this website- myself included- can do the high level skills they can.
Re: DIJordan – You asked about the questioning of the girl's ages prior to the start of the Olympic trials. Do you mean the actual country trials for the Olympics? Or the start of the actual competition?
Because I know I heard about this issue from the NBC commentators before the team qualification ever started. And basically all they said was there was controversy brought up in some Chinese newspapers but that the IOC basically said that China provided documents "proving" their age and that was good enough for them (the IOC).
Probably very easy to get a passport and they are the kings of fake stuff lol. They should ask for birth certificates. I do not believe those girls are 16 they look way too young!
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It is so disgusting to read the racist and sexist comments concerning this post. Ok..the girls certainly do not look like they are any where near 16. Perhaps there can be a rule change that allows younger gymnysts to compete with their pre-pubescent flexiblity, etc… When it comes down to it..I do not care who wins or who loses..ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THAT PEOPLE TREAT OTHER PEOPLE WITH DIGNITY AND KINDNESS…not unintelligent, lowest denominator crass crude ignorant talk.
none of those girls look older than 13…their team did better than the rest, but the age had influence on that, since they had no previous experience they were more fearless than the rest…so shady of China like most of the things that happen in that country…
MICHAEL PHELPS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!
DNA does not reveal age, Perez. An autopsy might, is THAT what you're suggesting?
Dominique Dawes said it best: instead of an age requirement there should be a weight requirement for gymnasts, As a former Olympic champion, she states that weight is the only way to truely level the playing team. Regardless if they were underage or not ( s couple looked VERY young) they still kicked our asses, nerves or no the US made a lot of major last minute mistakes.
Dominique Dawes said it best: instead of an age requirement there should be a weight requirement for gymnasts, As a former Olympic champion, she states that weight is the only way to truely level the playing team. Regardless if they were underage or not ( s couple looked VERY young) they still kicked our asses, nerves or no the US made a lot of major last minute mistakes….
DNA tests for age???
You are a JOKE to the rest of us, Mario.
its sad that people cannot come to terms, that apart from the US another country is able to rise up, strong … and will beat the US of A. Get a life people, concentrate on your own society shady politics and media politics….. !
The Chinese aren't shamed at all at switching out little girls because one isn't pretty enough, just for their perfect image. Would it really be that big a deal to them to have fake passports? I mean it was the government who provided the passports, not the girls themselves.
Chinese girls have a smaller built. At age 16, some still look very young.
If you look at 16 year olds in the US, you'd think they're in their 20s already.
Looks doesn't mean anything.
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Here's a way you can determine the age of the Chinese female gymnasts.
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Count the number of hair clips the girl is wearing. The youngest wore the most hair clips with the very youngest wearing Star Shaped clips, the height of pre-teen fashion.
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Count the missing baby teeth.
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Does their makeup make them look sophisticated or like a little girl playing dress-up?
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How do we make the IOC enforce the rules?
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Re: stu – To explain what I meant, please forgive my 'terminology'.
Way back, in pre-cable and satellite days, I used to watch gymnastics on Saturday afternoons (when we only had about 5 TV channels)…and, there were competitions from teams all around the World.
Aren't the competitions still the same? I would hate to think that the World Championship did not include entrants from foreign lands. But, I digress…
Well, I started thinking (yes, I know…that's a dangerous thing lol)….if the US competed against the Chinese gymnasts, before (and, I feel positive that, at least, the coaches would have 'checked out the competition')…why didn't they file a grievance, beforehand, when they suspected that the Chinese gymnasts were underage? Why wait until the Olympic competition started?
Make no mistake….I am pro-USA, all the way. But, being passive, when the opposing team SEEMS younger (I said SEEMS, since it hasn't been absolutely proven, that they cheated), and less experienced….and then 'crying foul', when our team is falling short, of the goal…well, it just doesn't set a good example for our future athletes, does it?
Shoot I think China is totally that kind of a country that will stop at nothing to show they are the best, even if it means cheating. So if it comes to light that these girls are underage then I would have to guess that the Chinese government had a big hand in helping them obtain passports with birthdays making them eligible. Just my 2 cents, but I don't trust their government for a second.
Re: Nikkee120 – Point WELL taken.
For what it's worth….I am as pro-USA as they come. I never meant to imply that I was rooting for the Chinese, but…I can see how you may have thought that, from my initial comment. Believe me, I would have been the happiest woman in the world, if the US won the gold.
I would give anything to be able to do the high level skills, that those gymnasts can do….but, everytime they do the splits, or when they land a certain way on the balance beam, my hands go toward my crotch, and I scream "OOOOOWWWW!"…so, I will stick with a milder form of gymnastics, thank you. BTW…does a treadmill count as gymnastics? LOL
Re: LettyB – What planet are you from? Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Have you graduated from 8th grade yet?
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This is not Chinese bashing. It is widely recognized, and documented, the Chinese have underage competitors on their gymnastics team.
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Also, stick to the point. This particular posting is NOT about products made in China, communism, or Chinese history. It is about FALSIFYING GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS. With a wink and a nod, underage girls were allowed to compete in violation of Olympic rules.
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The Chinese did not truly earn the Olympic gold but Chinese officials that issued the passports have earned every comment posted here.
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damn - that's 2 of the stupidest things I've ever seen written!! A) China is corrupt as hell and they just printed new passports for those children no questions asked and B) DNA test for age? hahahahaha - the fat has gone to your "brain" and made you even more stupid!!
Geishas are from Japan brainiac! and if it's true that they are 13 yrs old, then they don't deserve a gold medal… they deserve ten gold medals! *May the best athletes win!!*
They can't do a DNA test to confirm age, you stupid fuck.
Well, since the Chinese government controls everything their Olympic athletes do, any "doctored" passport would come from their official passport agency. Therefore, her passport wouldn't be "doctored", it would just be "fraudulent".
And you can't determine age with a DNA test.
And really, who gives a shit?
adt says – reply to this 122They can't do a DNA test to confirm age, you stupid fuck.
You said it, a.
First he needs an English major, now he needs a Science major to edit his comments.
STAY IN SCHOOL, KIDS!!!
Re: Weeee –
Nope. You can lose medals. Recently an athlete gave back medals won years ago because it turned out she was doping the whole time.
American cheaters? you betcha!
Pettigrew, Harrison twins, and I think the latest was Marion Jones; shame on them!
dude, some of the Olympians from china look fucking 9! You can just tell when a child hasn't hit puberty yet and half of the gymnastics team looked that way! I knew when I saw them that not all of them could possibly 16 or even close to it. I wonder what repercussions China's team will face? If any…
honestly this is absolute bullshit.the new york times revealed that one of the girls just turned 14 a few days ago!they also said that everyone involved in the olympics knows but is turning a blind eye!this is just so inexcusable, especially coming from the country hosting the event.if any other team wasn't playing fairly it would be a media frenzy and they would immediately lose their gold medals.for some reason, no one is covering this story!michael phelps gets drug tested every single day and hypothetically, if he tested positive he would be gone.these little chinese girls need to beheld accountable, because this is cheating.
Re: STOP HATE – ummm thats really not the point…the point is that they are cheating, and they are hosting the olympics.if another team was doing what they are doing, they would be highly publicized and they would lose their gold medals.
suck it up america you lost
Re: HELLO_KITTY – OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE NOT READ ALL THE COMMENTS NOR THE ONES FROM PREVIOUS POST ON THE CHINESE! YOU MUST NOT HAVE GRADUATED 8TH GRADE, YOU KNOW THE PART ABOUT DOING RESEARCH BEFORE YOU WRITE A REPORT! THOSE PEOPLE I AM SPEAKING ABOUT KNOW WHO THEY ARE! DUMB FUCK!
Why is this so offensive when it's China but people don't seem to mind that Great Britain has a 14-year-old diver… and they publicly announced that on NBC during the Parade of Nations!
Is it just for China that you have to be 16?
Because someone on Great Britan is 14.
Re: charlottebd – Because 14yo divers are NOT against Olympic regulations….MORON!
It sucks if they did cheat BUT have to admit also that USA did horrible this year and im still suprise USA got 2nd place after all them errors!!!…
Not surprising - I watched one of the gymnastics events that China was competing in and most of the girls on the team looked 12 years old. Why the fuck was China chosen as the host country for the olympics? They're so dang shady!
well.. notice how strong all the american athletes look… would you accuse them of taking steriods??
i don't get why everyone is saying 'fuck china' when it's not even proven. i'm sorry but if the passports were good enough for the IOC then they should be good enough for PerezHilton and his little contrabande. think about it, what does the IOC gain by standing by something they know is fake?? Until proven guilty, everyone should just shut up and deal with the fact that China own.
commie bitches!
Re: hottie – All you a-holes on here need to stop being racist bastards. Idiots.
over in london they arent as corupt as that
It's disgusting and disturbing what the Chinese are doing. It is clearly cheating. I had to laugh while I was watching some of the gymnasticas coverage - the announcer said "WOMENS gymnasticas." LOL! Try "Underage girls"!!! These poor girls had no boobs, were barely 4 feet tall yet had their faces slathered with makeup, so JonBenet Ramsey and so wrong! But that's China for you - they seems to be winning an inordinate amount of gold medals. CHEATERS!!!
Isn't it predictable, even before the Olympics have even started, that they will eventually set something up like this??
That is soooooo unethical. They are supposed to check ages. They knew those girls weren't old enough.