The other day International Gymnastics Federation President Bruno Grandi was quoted as saying:
Did he know this study was about to be announced?
BEIJING — X-ray bone analysis of 15,000 young Chinese athletes shows about 20 percent have lied about their ages, provincial sports authorities say.
The analysis was conducted by sports officials in southern Guangdong province and reported on the Web site of the Southern Metropolis Daily.
The confirmation of age-faking again puts pressure on Chinese sports officials. Several of China’s gold-medal winning female gymnasts at last year’s Olympics were widely suspected of being underage, although they were later cleared by officials of the sport’s world governing body.
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The southern city of Guangzhou will host next year’s Asian Games, and provincial officials appear to be cracking down beforehand.
“We won’t allow those who faked their age to get any benefit at all,” said Ye Xiquan, deputy director of the provincial sports bureau.
ESPN – The Associated Press
How long before the IOC and FIG must decide what to do with age cheat Olympic medalists from 2000 and 2008?
If they do penalize those athletes, why not go back to other admitted age cheats from earlier Olympics?
I expect the coming media storm will focus on He Kexin, our Olympic Bars Champion.
Telegraph – One in five of China’s athletes lie about their age
Likely it’s coincidence, but new FIG Scientific Commission chair Keith Russell comes from University of Saskatchewan, a world leader in bone density research. Professor Russell did a study on wrist x-ray of gymnasts many years ago.
It’s very difficult to determine exact age by any scientific means. But the scrutiny of real assessment, rather than the blanket cover-up we had during the Beijing Olympics, will result in some athletes coming forward and admitting their actual birth date. Baby photos, date stamped, will turn up.
The truth will out. It’s only a matter of time.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 