Originally published October 7, 2008 at 10:00 AM | Page modified October 7, 2008 at 10:00 AM
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
Chinese authorities checking IDs of gymnasts, too
International gymnastics officials aren't the only ones who want more information on two members of China's 2000 Olympic team.
International gymnastics officials aren't the only ones who want more information on two members of China's 2000 Olympic team.
The Chinese Gymnastics Association is doing its own investigation into the ages of Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun, spokeswoman Zhou Qiurui said Tuesday. New information suggests the two could have been as young as 14 at the Sydney Olympics, where China won the bronze medal.
Gymnasts have to be 16 during the Olympic year to compete.
Zhou declined further comment and referred questions to another member of the association, who was not available. But, Zhou added, the association relies on local authorities for information about its athletes.
"The local authorities provided us with the athletes' profiles, including age. Our job was only to select the best among them," she said. "We are not the government and don't have any power. We can only coordinate."
Questions about Dong and Yang's ages surfaced during an investigation into China's gold medal squad from the Beijing Olympics. Though the International Gymnastics Federation cleared the 2008 squad last week, it said it still had questions about Dong and Yang and "does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory."
Dong's accreditation information for the Beijing Olympics, where she worked as a national technical official, listed her birthday as Jan. 23, 1986. That would have made her 14 in Sydney - too young to compete. Her birth date in the FIG database is listed as Jan. 20, 1983.
Dong's blog also says she was born in the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac, which dated from Feb. 20, 1985, to Feb. 8, 1986. Dong has not denied that, but she refused to answer any questions about her age, telling The Associated Press, "I've left the gymnastics team."
Yang, who also won a bronze medal on uneven bars in Sydney, said in a June 2007 interview that aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 in Sydney. She later told the AP that she had misspoken, declining further comment.
Repeated calls to Dong and Yang's cell phones have gone unanswered.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
3A football: Liberty stuns O'Dea 38-35
3A football: Lindbergh blows out Ferndale, 52-21
3A, 2A volleyball: Seattle Prep tripped in quarterfinals
Men's college basketball | San Diego shuts down Stanford
Soccer | Los Angeles Galaxy advances to MLS Cup final in Seattle

Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Skiers crowded the slopes at Crystal Mountain for one of the resort's earliest openings.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Seattle U. Men's Hoops | Big recruit goes from Huskies to Redhawks
- Razor found in muffin an accident, 'mortified' baker says
- Mariners sign Jack Wilson to 2-year contract
- Suspect's family shaken by slaying of police officer
- Mountlake Terrace woman reports razor in muffin
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- Homeless man, 46, arrested in Greenwood arsons
- Ivar's undersea billboards a hoax devised as marketing ploy
- Steve Kelley | ESPN's Bill Simmons gets us: He hates Clay Bennett, too
- KVI talk radio host off the air as of Thursday
- Washington in race for federal education funds
- Police investigate videotaped arrest
- Goodwill's Glitter Sale is Nov. 14-15
- Light rail to airport to begin Dec. 19
- An 802.11n upgrade could make a big difference





