by site editor Rick McCharles
Chinese officials insist new eligibility rules will end the problem of age falsification in gymnastics.
China were stripped of their women’s team bronze from the 2000 Olympics after Dong Fangxiao was found to be 14 years old – two years too young.
Chinese sports officials promised that tighter checks introduced after the scandal would eradicate the problem.
They say the delegation for next month’s Youth Olympic Games in Singapore have had stringent checks.
“We’ve scrutinised every athlete’s age for the Youth Olympic Games to make sure there is no-one going to Singapore with a fake age,” Cai Zhenhua told Thursday’s China Daily. …
read more on BBC – Chinese confident over age checks for gymnasts
(via Full Twist)
I predict we’ll see many age falsification scandals in multiple sports at the Youth Olympic Games. China will likely not be one of those nations found guilty.
It’s not over for China, however. One day it will be proved that one or more of their competitors at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was underage.
And everybody already knows that Yang Yun was also underage in 2000. She admitted it. That controversy will come back to haunt them again, though I expect they’ll be no further IOC sanction for 2000.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 