Underaged gymnasts probe extended
Wed, October 01 2008
International gymnastics officials are examining whether Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao, in particular, were old enough to compete at the Sydney Olympics. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year.
“If we had a look at all the articles that came before, during and after the Games, there were always rumours about the ages of China’s athletes in Sydney,” Andre Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the International Gymnastics Federation, said in Chicago.
Yang’s birthdate is listed as Dec. 2, 1984, making her eligible for Sydney. But Yang, who also won a bronze on the uneven bars, said in a June 2007 interview that aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 at the Olympics.
Dong’s birthdate is listed as Jan. 20, 1983, making her 17 at the time of the Sydney Games. Her blog, however, includes a reference to being born in 1985.
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