China Stripped of Women’s Gymnastics Medal

[Elmore Furth]

Source: NY Times

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday stripped the Chinese women’s gymnastics team of a bronze medal it won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The move came two months after one of China’s athletes, Dong Fangxiao, was found to be under-age at those Summer Games.

The I.O.C. will award the bronze medal to the United States , which had finished fourth in the team event and had left the 2000 Olympics empty-handed. The team members were Amy Chow, Jamie Dantzscher, Dominique Dawes, Kristen Maloney, Elise Ray and Tasha Schwikert.

“I could have never imagined getting another Olympic medal at 33 years old, so it’s great to hear the news and that justice prevailed,” said Dawes, who will now have one gold and three bronze Olympic medals, from the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Games. “I’m thrilled that my teammates and I, 10 years later, will finally be able to enjoy the medal we deserved.”

The issue of age falsification has been a lingering problem in gymnastics and was a major issue at the 2008 Beijing Games, where questions arose about the age of at least two of China’s female gymnasts. Internet sports registries and other sources showed that those gymnasts were under-age. To compete at the Games, gymnasts must be at least 16 in an Olympic year.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/sports/olympics/29gymnast.html?hp

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These grade school girls couldn't have been the age they claimed.

[amandabeech]

1. The Chinese government, and most of its businesses, are big pieces of shit.

Anyone who does business with them should keep that in mind.

Including the Olympic Committee.

[proteus_lives]

2. +1

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[1955doubledie]

10. FWIW, they gave you a "+1"

:)

[Captain Hilts]

4. Take some swimming medals also. nt

[amandabeech]

6. Yup, and you have to wonder about the divers. n/t

[Carnage251]

5. 16-year old He Kexin?

No way

[amandabeech]

7. Female gymnasts and figure skaters often have somewhat delayed puberty.

That girl, however, either isn't 16 or is taking banned chemicals.

[femrap]

8. Today I was thinking about

trends...and out of the blue I thought....women and possibly men will be have plastic surgery to their eyes to look more Chinese.

[On the Road]

9. Its a Very Chinese Thing

to falsify birth certificates -- I know someone whose parents changed their age for school eligibility, for example. And I do think those gymnasts were under age.

It is deceptive, however, to simply go by looking at the photos. At the time this came up, I showed the photos to my girlfriend, who used to be a pediatrician in China. She was not ablt to say for sure whether they under 16.

[Ammonium]

11. It's the teeth

I remember seeing pictures of the 2008 women's chinese team. I found it remarkable that none of them had adult canine teeth. This is significant because these teeth do not erupt until the 12-14 year range. So unless they had fallen out, which is impossible because the rest of their teeth looked fine, the girls couldn't be older than 14 tops. This one is so easy to see.