China Acknowledges Gymnastics Team Age Confusion, Blames Bad Paperwork

China today acknowledged the confusion about the ages of its Olympic gymnasts. China's deputy sports minister blamed paperwork problems. ESPN has the story.

At last year's China's Cities Games, Chinese officials decided to move He Kexin, who won two gold medals during the Beijing Games, from a local team to the national team. China's deputy sports minister Cui Dalin said Sunday that it was during this transfer that a "misunderstanding appeared" about her age.

"Last year at the all-city competition, He Kexin moved from one team to another and during the process of registering during the move, there appeared this age discrepancy," Cui said during a news conference.

"So it was the appearance of a mistake in the process of transferring teams that the misunderstanding appeared. However, I can right here accurately say that the ages of the members of our gymnastics delegation entirely conform to the requirements for participation in the Beijing Olympic Games."

Read the Huffington Post's scoop on the "scandal of the ages"

Comments

[zann]

What's wrong with all you people? Where's the proof of guilt?

[MrsGreebers]

What would you consider proof?

[gmlaster]

Nothing, unless the Chinese government said it was proof.

[EricSaeger]

The teething ring that fell out of her backpack. And the Tickle Me Elmo she always talks to.

[jood42]

Actually, I like this answer much better than mine.

[jood42]

You mean like the Chinese website that had listed her birthdate as 01/01/94, and then removed the document *after* she'd made the olympic team, but forgot to get the cached copy of the document scrubbed from a Chinese search engine? You mean proof like that?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4578241.ece

[HamletsMill]

Didn't the Chinese learn ANYTHING from the New England Patriots organization and Bill Belicheat last year? Cheaters never win. Repeat. Cheaters never win.

Karma is a b i t c h.

18-1

[HamletsMill]

But, then again, maybe THEY could have used the "bad paper work" excuse too?

[gmlaster]

No, that only works in China. Americans are smart enough to know bullsh^t when they smell it.

[mangonut]

Ah... Feeling your cultural-s­uperiority complex today?

[HermioneGranger]

Who the heck are the "New England Patriots"?

[EricSaeger]

The horrible new curse hanging over me and every other Boston-area sports fan.

[gmlaster]

Suffice it to say, you're not an American football fan and let it go.

[daddyG56]

Never win? I don't remember the Lombardi Trophy being given to the Eagles when it was proved that the Patriots cheated. What did they lose, 1.25 mil and a draft choice? Peanuts.

Am I being cynical to suggest that cheaters win 90% of the time?

[gmlaster]

"Am I being cynical to suggest that cheaters win 90% of the time?"

DUH! You're an idiot. Cheaters win 90% of the time because they're cheating. That's what cheating is. And maybe the NFL went easy on the Patriots, but the fans sure didn't. They were hated. They went from being one of the nation's most beloved teams to being a pariah. So they got a slap on the wrist and kept the trophy, but they lost the respect of millions of fans. The trophy wasn't worth what it cost the Patriots in respect.

If you think it's somehow cool to cheat, you're missing the whole point of sports. Whoever has the greater skill and talent wins because they have proven that ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD with no advantages or gimmicks, they are the best. You only cheat because you know you can't win by playing fairly, so you give yourself an advantage.

Maybe it's a cultural thing, but we Americans DESPISE cheaters.N­ot long ago in Vegas, it used to be that people caught cheating in casinos would get their fingers cut off or their knees busted by a hammer. In the Old West, a guy cheating at cards would get shot right there at the table, and nobody missed him. The law would consider the matter closed. Cheaters and pimps are the lowest forms of life.

[Sioen]

China's embarrassment isn't just their ruthless oppression of their own people, or those who disagree with them, or their unconscionable obliteration of Tibetan Buddhists.­..

now it's also that they're cheaters.

Shame on China and everyone who gave them the veneer of respectability by allowing them to host the Olympics.

[mangonut]

You seriously believe all that you wrote?

[gmlaster]

Every word...and so do you or your wouldn't ask.

[IAmYourDad]

yeah, shame on them for putting the best olympic show ever.

[gmlaster]

Glad you enjoyed it Dad, but the rest of us thought it was nothing but cultural masturbation. It could have been spectacular if only China had conducted the games with honor. We would all have marveled at it. But you ruined it all by getting greedy.

It was horrible, watching China rip off its own face like that. Horrible.

[coco77]

Best Olympics since 1936.

[zekleslikpaw]

People, my people. Please stop this discussion, it is not worth your time.
Simple solution: We (the World) agree not to request disqualification of Chinese gimnasts,
They (the Chinese) agree to X-rey tests that show real age. Fair enough?

[OkieIntellectual]

What in the heck is a "gimnast" and an "X-rey"?

[gmlaster]

Be nice. English is not everyone's first language.

[hardlyhikin]

To paraphrase aging crowd...

"Fourteen is the new sixteen"

[gmlaster]

Nope. 14 is 14, everywhere in the universe, and 2+2=4.

[provgrays]

So "bad paperwork" allows several fraudulently won Olympic medals to stand?

Never accept the old idea that the Olympics are not political. They are nothing but political.

[curocat]

They still beat the US team. You ever seen some Junior High School kids beat the High School kids??? The US team made a lot of mistakes the could have won it other wise, so now they are saying they were too young...

[Uberbah]

Misdirection. Nothing you can say will change the facts that underage gymnasts have an advantage (greater flexibility) and that they BROKE THE RULES.

[MrsGreebers]

Yes, if the difficulty level of the middle school team and high school team were comparable -- the middle school team would have an advantage. The laws of physics dictate that a prepubescent body is an advantage in "women's" gymnastics since the sport evolved (courtesy of Nadia et al) to the level of difficulty it now has. I am puzzled that you have developed such a strong opinion on this subject apparently without having encountered this piece of information.

Specifically, many gymnasts find it difficult to maintain peak performance after not only the added weight of puberty but the added height as well. Those who can adjust often suffer through a bad season or two as they learn to work with their new bodies. While doing so, they are more prone to injuries than before puberty. Nastia Liukin is an example of this - she was good enough for the Olympics 4 years ago but had to stay home due to the age rule. Over the past four years she had growth spurts and injuries that very nearly derailed her career. Another example is Nadia herself - world champion at 13, Olympic princess at 14 - complete disaster at 16 - repeat Olympic medalist at 18 but clearly past her peak. Had this age rule been place she would not have been "Nadia." Christi Phillips is an example who dominated the sport between Olympics but after puberty didn't make the team at 16.

[Paganus]

Have been since 776 BCE...

[newhouse1]

Tthere are so many issues that effect China and its relationship with its own people, its Asia neighbors, and the world at large. I am a sports nut, and appreciate as much if not more than most the advantage age can provide in competitions. So, the perceived disadvantage --but success of-- an American 40+ year old swimmer's ability to win individual silver, or anchor a silver relay effort with a monster record time, is perhaps not 1-to-1 comparable to a gymnast competing at 14 vs 16 years old. Maybe those 2 years make a difference. Then again, maybe not. Point is: this issue is such a non-starter for any serious analysis of China that it's laughable. Anyone thinking: Well, China fronts for 14 year olds, and that's why the Dali Lama, Tibet, US trade imbalance, their Korea influence.­.. are all connected," is an idiot. God help us. USA has more people incarcerated than any other nation on earth, starts preemptive wars, and can't catch Osama Bin Laden with technology that let's us see the backside of Saturn's moons! We need to get serious about how we view others and ourselves, and stop trolling in the lowest common denominator world for simplistic answers to every challenge. There's nothing but noise in this story. Move on.

[kiddub]

Hooray! Well put.

[gmlaster]

If you're really a sports nut, you should be outraged. You can't rationalize cheating. Rules are rules, and when you break them, you dishonor the sport and yourself. PERIOD. This has nothing to do with the Dalai Lama and Osama Bin Laden. It has to do with China's dishonor. Nothing on Saturn's moons can fix that or bring it back. China gave away its honor and dignity for a few pieces of gold. It's disgraceful.

It was also unnecessary. Those girls were incredible, something to be insanely proud of. We all saw the same thing. But they weren't eligible to compete yet. Had China waited just four more years, they would have been eligible and could have won with honor and not only taken home the gold medals, but also tremendous respect for China. Now they're tainted goods, cloaked in China's shame. When He and the others participate in the next Olympics, what people will remember most are "those are the little Chinese girls that cheated". What a shame!

In the early 1900's, Joe Jackson was a magnificent baseball player whose team, the Chicago White Sox, got caught up in a game fixing. Chicago was caught and its players were forever disgraced. Jackson's legacy was destroyed. He never played professionally again, and all anyone remembers him for is the scandal. That's what China has done to those girls. So unfair to do that to innocent little girls!

[Pupster]

Many believe Shoeless Joe Jackson was falsely accused. That he might have been innocent, but his reputation was ruined by gossip and rabble.

Similar here? Character assassination through accusation but no proof.

[coco77]

Excuse us if in the midst of the worst financial crisis ever we try to enjoy the Olympics for 2 weeks without documents being destroyed in front of our faces as part of a govt cover up.

[SeriousBlack]

For pete's sake.

They are so full of it.

[ethancorso]

...nothing to see here...

[jesuswazasocialist]

The Invasion of Tibet was also due to "bad paper work."

[chinationreport]

The 'invasion' of Tibet was not due to bad paper work. You can debate whether China had the right to take it back after Britain try to make it another 'East Indian Company' but at least Tibet and China are closely linked in the history.

What's the excuse of invading Iraq? Isn't that due to 'bad paper work'?

The only difference is that the fake age - if true - cost two gold medals of America, the war on the other hand has cost a few thousand American lives and many lives of Iraqi civilians.­.. and what happened to our oil price and budget deficit??????

[starfire426]

Should this even be a surprise to anyone...C­hina cheating..­.as the host country...­on their home turf...for as many gold medals as they could muster?

[Sloppyseconds]

Lol. You must be kidding. I have lived in Asia for 20 years and still live in Asia and these girls are not 16!

[curocat]

Do you know first hand ??? just cause you lived their for 20 years doesn't necessarily qualify you...

[gmlaster]

Maybe not. But having eyes sure does. Stand those girls up next to all the other Chinese female Olympians, and see for yourself.

[chinationreport]

Google: http://blog.chinationreport.com/2008/08/24/chinese-gymnasts-age-and-american-pre-war-iraq-intelligence/
Chinese Gymnasts Age and American Pre-war Iraq Intelligence
Results: 59,600 for cia forged document
Results: 1,110,000 for under age gymnasts
Is this normal?

[CitizenFace]

One result is for a story that first broke weeks ago in a book by a reporter discussing an issue of political and foreign policy significance. The other is for a story occuring, uh, now, breaking simultaneously on print, tv, and the internet about possible cheating in a once-every­-four-year­s, massively hyped-up, highly publicized sporting event.

What do you think?

[PurplePhase]

The blogosphere will be busy keeping track of the number of medals China will have to give back because of cheating and fraud.

[gmlaster]

China is learning a valuable lesson about the 21st century: No one truly controls the Internet. There's nowhere to hide where the bloggers won't find you.

[PurplePhase]

The blogosphere and internet are a significant leap in further democratizing the world.

The Chinese government censors many web sites. In time, their people will realize how repressive the government is and they will make changes.

[GhiaccioPronto]

Texas Cheerleader soap opera ratings war.