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Things are heating up with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and they’ve reopened the inquiry into the Chinese Gymnastics Team:

Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.

So why is this age issue such a big deal? The minimum age for female gymnasts was increased from 14 to 15 in 1981, and up to 16 in 1997, to protect the physical and mental health of young athletes.

According to today’s FoxNews.com story:

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.

If you’ve got an advantage, that’s cheating. Can you imagine the pressure on the young girl holding the medal, her family? Here’s a teen girl stuck in the middle of either a complete fabrication or being assailed by the world unfairly.

We take it for granted that He Kexin won’t be on the box of Wheaties or doing any other US-based promotional work but the lifestyle she will live in China if she’s discredited for the gold concerns me. Living with shame is intolerable at best, having no way to escape it pushes people over the edge.

As in the 2007 lead paint toy fiasco this much global attention on a problem usually ends up with someone hanging themselves quite literally as the scapegoat.

Evidence: Raw Data Showing Years of Competition Records

Research courtesy of blogger / hacker Mike Walker a/k/a Stryde Hax:

There’s He Kexin again, listed with a birthday of 1-1-1994, fourteen years old. Running that line through Google Translate, the chances of a case of mistaken identity diminish rapidly:

799, BB He Kexin CC female AA 1994.1.01  Beijing and Beijing Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau, First Note 

It is my suspicion that First Note is a mistranslation of First Place, as her world class gymnastics record speaks for itself. For those working to cache these documents, the direct link to the Baidu cache, for as long as it lasts, is here: cache link.

From FoxNews.com’s Report: Hacker Uncovers Proof Chinese Gymnast Is Underage

First he simply tried Google, only to find that an official listing by the Chinese sports administration that had given her age could no longer be accessed. Then he tried the Google cache, only to find that He’s name had been removed.

Finally, he tried the cache of Chinese search engine Baidu. There, he found that Baidu lists two spreadsheets in He’s name, both giving her date of birth as January 1, 1994 — making her 14 years and 220 days old and too young to compete at the Beijing games.

The lists were compiled by the General Administration of Sport of China.

Even before anyone arrived in Beijing, American media investigations accused China of fielding three athletes below the 16-year-old minimum age threshold. Bela Karolyi, the former U.S. head coach, then reheated the issue by claiming that China “are using half-people” and that their flouting of the regulations was so obvious that “these people think we are stupid.”

Liukin, who finished second to He in the uneven bars final would be elevated to the gold medal position should He be disqualified. Britain’s Beth Twiddle, who finished in fourth place, would be elevated to the bronze.

Karolyi’s Complaint

We seem to see cheating as a common thread in the Communist countries for the Olympics when each country’s government system is represented by athleticism.

Bela went off about this:

“What kind of slap in the face is this?” he asked. “They are 12, 14 years old, max. And they line them up for the world … and having the government back them.

“Since they forced an age limit, it has gotten worse and worse. The FIG is running away from the age problem. They set an age limit and now they can’t control it.”

International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) officials have accepted the passports of the Chinese women, which indicate all are old enough to compete.

Karolyi is originally from Romania, and he says falsifying documents is a common practice in countries such as Romania, Russia and other former Soviet bloc nations.

FIG’s Response: Throw Me a Frikkin’ Bone, China!

In this response about the additional information requested, the FIG has asked China to produce further documents testifying to the birthdates of the gymnasts.

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. It is in the interests of all concerned, not least the athletes themselves, to resolve this issue once and for all.

Censorship, Technology, Blogging, and Mob Justice

Mike Walker / Stryde Hax has this to say:

This story now is really about Internet censorship, the act of removing evidence while at the same time claiming that the evidence is wrong. For the first time I watched search records shift under my feet like sand, facts draining down a hole in the Internet.

Will this stand?

Analysis: 2008 = Online Tiananmen Square

This mess isn’t going to be solved conclusively. The Streisand effect on these Chinese athletes is a ten-kiloton explosion right now, and everyone in the frag pattern will never ben the same. I don’t doubt that functionaries will have freshly minted birth certificates signed by doctors and a whole row of witnesses coached by Monday.

Saving face is a multi-faceted and nuanced survival skill in a country where lead painted toys and tainted dog food can get the head FDA official executed. They killed this guy as if to say, “Are you happy now? Keep buying our product!”

Stryde Hax’ online forensics are accurate, verifiable until they are taken down or root server hacked, meaning the girls are underage. Removing the records so quickly upon discovery looks highly suspect and fools nobody. He’s even getting fan mail from Chinese citizens.

None of this, it seems, will ever be enough for anyone to stop buying Made in China goods from Wal-Mart or Target. 

The core issue for me is, what will China’s citizenry do about this? Will the younger generation harbor shame and hostility towards the older ruling system and break the cycle or will they fade into the background?

Analysis: Olympic Age Rule Will Probably Be Repealed

I’m of the opinion that if the rules for the athlete’s safety are being broken, maybe this one should be repealed. If their parents consent to the risky behavior, who are we to stop them?

Nadia Comaneci was 14 when she won her fist Olympic gold medal in 1976. She scored a perfect 10. Her coach Bela Karolyi and his wife have worked with the US teams since their defection in the 1980s. Both of them promote the repealing of the rule in question if it’s not able to be enforced.

There’s a good chance that the age rule repeal will happen quietly, two or three years from now. Time enough for our short term memories to forget. 

Related Articles:

IOC Seeks to Settle Furor Over Age of Chinese Gymnasts

Hacker Uncovers Proof Chinese Gymnast Is Underage

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