FIG clears China’s 2008 gymnastics team

The Associated Press

Published Wednesday, October 1, 2008

China’s gold medal gymnasts are in the clear. Its team that won the bronze medal eight years ago, however, still faces questions.

International gymnastics officials today closed their 5½-week investigation into the ages of the Chinese gymnasts at the Beijing Olympics, saying the documentation provided confirms they were old enough to compete. But two members of the 2000 squad - Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun - remain under scrutiny.

"The FIG does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory," the International Gymnastics Federation said in a statement.

Dong got a Beijing Olympics credential with documents that suggest she was only 14 in 2000, said Andre Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the FIG. Her blog also indicates she was underage in Sydney.

Yang, who also won a bronze medal on the uneven bars in 2000, said in a June 2007 interview that aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 in Sydney. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to compete.

"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.

Doubts about the ages of China’s current gymnasts swirled for months before the Beijing Olympics, with media reports and online records suggesting some girls could be as young as 14. Three days before the games ended, the IOC asked the FIG to look into the matter one last time.

The investigation was expanded after questions were raised about the 2000 team.

"We did not have another choice," Gueisbuhler said last week. "If we want to remain credible, then we have to look into things."

Underage gymnasts have been a problem since the 1980s, when 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.