Report Says Gold Medal Gymnast was 13

Beijing China 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

by The Associated Press

Published: Thu, August 14, 2008 - 10:39 am CST Last Updated: Thu, August 14, 2008 - 10:41 am CST

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.

Gymnasts have to be 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible for the games. He's birthday is listed as Jan. 1, 1992. (Judge for yourself here, and offer your reactions here.)

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."

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barefootangel Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 12:48 pm

Amen to that! I remember when I would come home from work, cook supper, clean house, wash clothes, help all four with homwork, make sure all had their bath and have everyone in bed by nine. Now it’s just me and I’m like,to heck with supper, it’s seven, must be bedtime.

carl Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 10:31 am

I know what you mean Barefootangel. These were more like great grand children and they kept us on our toes. I prayed for rain every day for the last two weeks so I would have an excuse to go inside and rest, and half the time I would try to convince them they were getting over heated and needed to go in and cool off and the drops of sweat would be falling off me the size of my thumb nail. The BIG BOSS knew what he was doing when letting just the young have kids.

rosepetal Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 9:54 am

The wife, your post about boeing is priceless. i needed that laugh.

barefootangel Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 9:40 am

I read that you’ve had your family visiting. I had my five grandsons and their mother 4th July week. I didn’t realize there were so many days in a week. I love them, but five boys at one time, I’m too old for that!

The wife Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 8:55 am

Not to worry, Boeing will protest those medals.

carl Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 8:49 am

They said he was built like a fish and I guess they were right, at least he swims like one.

barefootangel Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 8:38 am

Well, of course I could be wrong. Maybe that’s why they age so well. I don’t think they should lose the medals because as I said they are very good at this sport. And I am sure they have work just as hard to get where they are as they others have but they do look so young. I guess we have to trust them and not be look for a reason to complain. (wasn’t Michael great with his wins!)

carl Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 6:02 am

It’s very hard to tell the age of these young girls from China and Japan, They all look so small. I remember one that looked to be maybe 7 or 8 years old at the most and I was talking to her that way when she informed me she was 15 years old and in high school but in a well mannered way. The point being that, I don’t see how they could tell the age without a verified birth certificate.

barefootangel Says:

Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 4:58 am

I have been watching these events. There is little doubt in my mind that these girls are not sixteen. They are very talented, but while watching them I kept thinking, “these are just little girls against big girls.”