the chinese age scandal | Teen Ink

the chinese age scandal

October 10, 2008
By Anonymous

And He Kexin sticks the landing. I think that the under age Chinese gymnasts should not have competed in the Olympics in Beijing. Karolyi, an expert on womens gymnastics had this to say, “What do they think we are stupid? We know what a kid of fifteen and sixteen looks like. What kind of slap in the face is this? They are twelve and fourteen years old and the government backs them up. There is an age limit control it.” They have a history of age falsifying; it is against Olympic regulations to be under sixteen. Let me prove my case.

The Chinese have a history of age falsifying especially in gymnastics. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, three years after the age limit was raised to 16. A Chinese gymnast Yang Yun competed and won a bronze medal in the uneven bars. Yang’s passport stated that she was born on December 24, 1984 and turning 16 in the year of the Olympics. She later confessed on a TV interview that she was 14 when she competed. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-flumenbaum/scandal-of-the-ages-docum_b_118842.html)

The age limit for gymnastics was raised by the federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG changing the minimum age from fourteen to fifteen in 1981. In 1997, it went to 16. Boosting the minimum age was supposed to encourage coaches to go easier on younger athletes. Another reason is because of health changes they do not want younger people to get hurt. It is against regulations to be under sixteen in the Olympics to compete in gymnastics.
There is proof of the Chinese age scandal. According to a Chinese article dated may 23. States that He Kexin is fourteen years old (see appendix.) the same article when compared it is exactly the same but the age has been changed to sixteen. Also a Chinese Digital Times article that was written in 2007 states that He Kexin is thirteen (see appendix). Well if she is 13 in 2007 then she would be fourteen in 2008. There is more according to an offical gymnastics roster written in 2006 (see appendix) shows that He’s birthday is January 1, 1994. I’m not done a Chinese state media article from November 3, 2007(see appendix) says clearly that He Kexin is thirteen years old. There are 5 news articles that support my case.

The Chinese have a history of age falsifying, there is proof and there is a regulation that states that you have to be 16 to compete in gymnastics. The Chinese cheated and lied about it plain and simple


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This article has 1 comment.


debbie said...
on Nov. 3 2008 at 5:44 pm
i thought it was great!