Surprise, surprise.
China did exactly the opposite of what I expected. And exactly the wrong thing.
Blythe updates us in this post: Gymnastics Examiner – Chinese officials remain defiant about Dong Fangxiao’s age in 2000
Now … the IOC is in a much easier position to pull the Team and Individual medal from Sydney. IOC must choose to support either China or the International Gymnastics Federation. They’ll back FIG.
China has no influence over Dong Fangxiao because she lives in New Zealand. She and her husband have admitted she was underage. How can China think they can sustain this lie now?
Obviously the correct response for Beijing would have been to fire the coaches and administrators from 2000. And apologize. Since that didn’t happen, … I’m guessing China has more skeletons in the closet.
Let’s assume one of the “fall guys” they would have fired got angry and decides to reveal other rules violations. Age of athletes in 2008, Beijing, for example. …
This is getting interestinger and interestinger.
13 comments ↓
I don’t think interestinger is a word.lol
Cheating has been going on forever. They need to fix it all. I t saddens me that only the Chinese are being chased. The Soviets did more cheating then anyone but Romania.
Indeed… If it had been Cuba or any other country, for that matter, the issued would have been resolved a long time ago, with the country, gymnasts, coaches, everyone, suspended.
I still don’t get why “we” suck up to China so much. Well, I do, but I find it amazingly low.
I do think, though, that age rule should never have come to fruition. So many talented athletes that are not Chinese would have loved to compete in 1996, 2000, 2004…but couldn’t because they were “too young.”
Seeing China humiliated by the IOC and FIG is wonderful, though!
if they do strip the chinese of their bronze, would the usa girls be awarded bronze?
I guess the imitations for investigating for FIG comps is ten years. So the Soviets and Romanians can breath easy. Although I don’t like any cheating it needs to stop somewhere. I really feel like one of the few places in the world that cheating (which is what it is, whether you agree with the rule or not) that can be done easily is China. I cannot understand why it is OK for any country can take advantage of minors, which is what this really is. Please, Please, take out whether or not you agree with the rule and think that there are young people told to lie. To lie to the world.
There was that Chinese swimming nationals where they set all kinds of records and the whole team was obviously on roids and the swimming federation just threw the whole meet out (in terms of the record book).
I want to know what people think went down at Beijing. If you had to BET on the answer, do you think Kexin was 16?
The statue of limitations is a joke. The world knew the Soviets cheated when they cheated but they ignored it. Same with Romania. NO ONE should be safe.
nothing’s going to happen…..IOC is NOT going to pull medals from a decade ago and FIG is NOT going to ban China from competition….a “letter of remand” will be issues and a nominal financial penalty will be assessed…and Bruno can tell the world what a tough guy he is on “reform”
wanna bet me, Rick?
ps. whaddya think? yesterday’s game or the 80 “Miracle on Ice”….which is the best olympic hockey game (or maybe hockey period!) ever?
I’m guessing you are right, Jim. No bet.
But Chinese officials are feeling the heat, even if they dodge this bullet.
And it’s a good talking point for some future FIG leadership who want to drop the age requirement as ineffectual.
I was super impressed with the hockey yesterday. I can’t recall any game with fewer “mistakes”, fewer turnovers. Team USA was fantastic. Either team might have won.
Compare the total salary of Team Canada vs Team USA. Our millionaires looked overpaid compared with the U.S. born millionaires.
What will happen, Jim, is that one of the athletes will write a “tell all” book with an American publisher. The truth will out, even if IOC is too gutless to do anything substantial to China.
You would have bet that FIG was too gutless to find Dong “guilty”. Right? But they did.
I think the team medal will get pulled. I fully expect it. I’m not sure why you all anticipate wimpitude.
Actually, I think IOC will take away the medal, Poly.
It’s possible they will “wimp out”, but it’s going to be difficult to justify.
Poly,
i expect “wimpitude” by the FIG ’cause of who the players are (Bruno and the #1 gym country in the world at the moment) and the “culture” of FIG….
i expect wimpitude by the IOC because of the fact that its 10 years old and opens a can of worms that they don’t want to open….
we shall of course, see….
pass the grey poupon if i’m wrong….i will HAPPILY eat crow
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