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Chinese Women's Gymnasts Were Of Age In Beijing

POSTED: 3:56 am HST October 1, 2008

(Sports Network) - The International Gymnastics Federation has concluded that members of the gold-medal winning Chinese women's gymnastics team were old enough to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Gymnasts must be 16 years old in an Olympic year to perform at the Summer Games, and there was a question as to whether some of the Chinese athletes were younger.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) launched an investigation on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) just prior to the Beijing Games' conclusion, and the five-week inquiry confirmed the ages in question with official documentation.

"Originals of official documents received from the Chinese Gymnastics Association, specifically passports, identity cards and family booklets or 'Household Registers,' confirm the ages of the athletes," the FIG said in a statement.

The Chinese women captured team gold at the Beijing Olympics and Yang Yilin won a bronze in the all-around competition, as well as the uneven bars. He Kexin was the gold medalist in the uneven bars, while Cheng Fei captured bronze in both the vault and balance beam.

The FIG, however, also said that the ages of two members of the Chinese women's team that competed at the 2000 Games in Sydney -- Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun -- are still under investigation.

"The FIG does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory," FIG's statement added.

The Chinese women captured bronze in the team competition at the Sydney Games, just ahead of the United States. Yang Yun was a bronze medalist in the uneven bars eight years ago.


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