There is no question that the performances of the young women on
China's gymnastics team were strong enough to earn them a gold medal.
But apparently there are questions about whether all of these girls are
actually 16.
Based
on Olympic rules, all gymnastic contenders must turn 16 sometime during
the Olympic year in order to be eligible to compete. Time magazine and other media outlets have reported that past Chinese records and news stories say two of the team members are 14, and another is only 15. The Associated Press cited a story, printed by the Chinese government's news agency,
that said gymnast He Kexin was just 13 as of nine months ago. Chinese
gymnastics officials maintain that all of the girls meet the age
requirement, and that those sources simply printed factual errors.
Of course, this whole situation again raises the issue of whether such age requirements should exist in the first place.
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