It hasn’t been a secret that some of the Chinese women competitors at the Beijing Olympics look to be so small and young as to be under the age of 16 required to compete in some events. Any viewer on TV or the internet can tell that some of these girls look so tiny as to be unbelievable. Let’s just say a couple of the Chinese competitors have apparently stretched “credibility”.

The Chinese woman above, He Kexin, is claimed by the Chinese to be 16 and won two gold medals, however various media reports have said she is actually 13 or 14. 16 is the minimum age of competing in gymnastics, partially due to the natural advantaged conveyed to “smaller frames” in most of the events. Different countries and races have differing body types, no one would be surprised to see more smaller frames on Chinese woman then for example, Swedish women or South Africans or whatever. Perhaps because of this, the uproar around a potentially underage competitor has been slow to build. The gymnastics component of the Olympics has been complete for a while now, but today I see this from the International Gymnastic Federation:

Beijing (CHN) BTG FIG Office, August 22, 1008: The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is seeking to clarify the claims made in the media regarding the age of Chinese female gymnasts He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, Li Shanshan, Deng Linlin and Yang Yilin.

The FIG provided documentary evidence, including copies of the athletes’ passports, when questions were raised in online media earlier this year.

In recent days, additional questions have resurfaced, and in the interests of laying the matter to rest and in response to a request from the International Olympic Committee, the FIG has now asked the Chinese Gymnastic Association to submit further documents testifying to the birthdates of the gymnasts.

On receipt of these documents, the FIG will forward its conclusions to the International Olympic Committee.

I don’t blame the FIG here, I’m sure they check the ages of the competitors. He Kexin’s birthdate on her passport is January 1, 1992. However, the FIG is relying on the Chinese government’s document. What extra information are they going to get? A birth certificate, sworn affidavit from her Grade 1 teacher or the doctor who delivered her? They already talked to her parents who are “indignant”. Realistically, the Chinese could easily fake all of those documents. In actual fact, the documents wouldn’t be fake at all. If the Chinese government said He Kexin’s birthday is now 1992 vs. 1994 and issued a passport as such, doesn’t that make it ‘authentic’? Let’s not be naive here. If the Chinese athletes are below the age required to compete this was not a rogue coach’s idea, the idea came from the upper echelons of the Chinese government for whom this Olympics is incredibly important international event. If a government issued passport is not a fake but is incorrect, you no longer have an issue of Olympic doping which tarnishes a country’s reputation (Ben Johnson still gets mentioned more than all the US athletes who got nailed doping), but a vivid illustration of how far the Chinese would go to save face (by winning lots and lots of Gold medals). That being said, it isn’t “illegal” or anything for a country to issue a knowingly false passport, it is done all the time in cases of international espionage or witness protection. It is however, against the “spirit” of the Olympics.

I think this should be pursued and brought to its full conclusion. Not because I think having a 14 yr old competing in Olympic women’s gymnastics is illegal or against the spirit of sport but because those were the rules of the games. I already feel slightly ripped off when I watched 26 yr old Emilie Heymans win silver for Canada, in between two Chinese women, one of whom was 15 (but turns 16 before the deadline) and the other was 16 but who is 4 foot 6, weighed 60 pounds and whose claim to fame is that she “skipped dinner for a year”.

Doping is one thing, adults above the age of consent should be allowed to take whatever drugs (which are legal, like most were) they want to improve their performance. Whether those athletes are then allowed in the Olympics is an open question. However, athletes below the age 14 or 16 or whatever who are pressured into skipping evening meals and not weighing more than 60 pounds is off putting. I’m trying not to get righteous here but this does kind of piss me off.

Tags: 2008, Beijing, China, Olympics