Kowabunga

Did China Cheat

Did China cheat in the women’s gymnastics competition, that is the question. The answer currently is: we don’t know. Yesterday, as a result of some continued snooping by a U.S. security expert, documents have surfaced that indicates one of the Chinese athlete’s is 14 years old, and not 16. Two other Chinese gymnasts are also under scrutiny. At stake are several medals, including gold medals for team and other events. Also at stake is the credibility of the sport, which as been rife with corruption for decades.

FoxNews as several bits of history on the corruption side of the sport:

Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren’t as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.

North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts’ ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.

Even China’s own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games.

It is interesting to note that China has been involved with at least one previous incident of age falsification in Olympic Gymnastics. North Korea, another communist dictatorship has also been involved in age falsification. With the history of successful age falsification, is it possible that China is trying to get away with it again? Yes, but right now one has to also accept the possibility that the gymnasts in question are, in fact, 16, and meet the minimum age requirements for participation. It is possible that the medals are legitimate.

Strydehax at blogspot is the guy who chased down the Internet paperless trail to uncover original source Chinese government documents, on Chinese government websites, that indicate He Kexin was born in 1994, rather than 1992 as indicated on her passport. Strydehax also reported on how documents that indicated the 1994 birth date were removed from the Internet, sometimes within hours of his finding them, and caches purged, thus removing the documents from the public view.

The IOC has finally ordered an investigation to verify the facts, even though these allegations have been circulating for at least a week now. One way or another, this needs to be proven. If they are 16, then they have some very well-deserved medals and recognition.

Lu Shanzan said the governing body of gymnastics was given additional documents Thursday night to try to dispel lingering questions. Those documents included He’s current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit. Lu said the documents all say she was born in 1992, which would have made her eligible to compete. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.

“Surely it’s not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birthdate?” Lu asked. “The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security. If these valid documents are not enough to clarify this problem, then what will you believe?

Lu has a valid point, if these documents are valid, they should be accepted. Of course the same was true with the documents used by Yang Yun in 2000. We’re talking about a communist dictatorship, not a free nation. China is a country where if a person does not do as they are told, they are put in a gulag or shot.

The thing I do find disturbing about the list of documents is the “family residence permit.” What the heck is this? Do people have to ask their government for a permit to reside some place? Talk about a leash law on the people.

However, Lu is quite right; these documents, if valid, should be accepted as legitimate. After all, it is possible that the government documents that previously existed on the web were incorrect.

Lu also said, “The Chinese government and the Chinese athletes must be respected,” he added.” My question to Lu is: why must we respect a communist dictatorship that incarcerates dissidents and enslaves an entire population? And are we supposed to respect cheats like Yang Yun?

As for the Chinese athletes of this Oylmpics, I hope that their claims to fame (i.e. medals) are legitimate and deserved.

Tags:

China Olympics Gymnastics

Tags: China, Gymnastics, Olympics, World Events