Are the Chinese Gymnasts Old Enough to Compete?
by Allie Comeau on August 14, 2008 
6 comments
It’s no secret the female gymnasts on China’s Olympic gymnastics team look a little young. But are they too young to compete?
There has been a lot of speculation about the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. He Xexin, in particular, looks strikingly young. We’re talking very young. Because Olympians must turn 16 in the year of the Olympics to compete in them, many are questioning whether or not He is old enough to be out on the floor. While her birthday is “officially” listed as Jan 1, 1992, news agencies aren’t so sure.
Sports Illustrated is claiming He may only be 14 years old – and ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics. S.I. cites an article from a Chinese news service (uncovered by The Associated Press) that states “this little girl” (He) is only 13 and one of the “10 big stars” from the Chinese Cities Games. The date of the article was November 3rd, 2007. That would make He only 14 this Olympic year.
After the AP found the article, they saved a copy of the page and it’s a good thing they did – later that afternoon it was mysteriously removed from the website.
Chinese officials are denying the claim and insisting the news service must have made a mistake. Zhang Hongliang, an official with China’s gymnastics delegation at the games, says the media didn’t double check He’s age before they printed the story.
“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.”
He herself insists she is 16 (as do the other questionably-aged gymnasts, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin). But under that much pressure from a Chinese government so desperate to lead the Olympic medal race, lying might be her only option.
What do you think? Do the Chinese gymnasts look old enough to compete? Would China deliberately lie about He’s age to win the gold? Should an official investigation be launched by the Olympic Committee?
August 14th, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
They sure don’t look old enough! It’s hard to believe China would stoop to such low tactics. Nevermind, no it isn’t.
August 14th, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
I know I’m getting older, but there is absolutely no way that all of those girls are 16 or older. Some don’t even look like there in their teens. Plus there will never be any hard proof to show their real age so it is a moot point. Kinda of a rip off for our athletes.
August 15th, 2008 @ 6:08 am
So we got beat by a bunch of 12 year olds. Great.
August 15th, 2008 @ 8:47 am
They do look young – I wonder if they have birth certificates and if anyone has spoken with the parents. I’m sure as we speak there are plenty of journalists looking for proof of real age (other than their government-issued passports)…
August 15th, 2008 @ 10:35 am
If you think that China is above lying about the age of these athletes your living in a cave. They have lied about so many things during this Olympics it’s amazing. didn’t Chinas government say the the journalist of the world would have unfettered access to the internet while reporting on the games.
The Gold Metal should be immediately taken back and give to the country that won the silver, playing fairly and by the rules and won it honestly.
Additionally, China and their gymnasts should forfeit the right to participate in any remaining contests.
The athletes themselves should be banned from the sport until age 16.
September 5th, 2008 @ 11:34 pm
I think that it is a pure disgrace if the athletes mentioned, (Xexin and others) are not actually 16 years old. I happened to see the entire meet and think that if allegations are true then China should be banned from the 2012 Olympics. The reason is because this was no accident.