BEIJING – The IOC governing body concluded its investigation into the Beijing Olympics gold medal winning Chinese gymnast team who were accused of being under age.China handed over passports and other documents for He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan proving the girls fell within the required age range.
The International Olympic Committee released a statement on Wednesday, “We are satisfied with the information provided by FIG, and we now consider the matter closed.”
There were questions about the ages of China’s team months before the games began and after they competed well and won the gold, other countries, like the USA, began screaming for an investigation into the matter.
Some of the Chinese team was rumored to be 14 years-old but the investigation proved otherwise.
There is said to be an advantage to performing at a younger age in the sport. The younger gymnasts are more flexible and usually have not experienced prior injuries from the sport.
Underage gymnasts have been an issue ever since the age requirements were increased, from 14 to 15 in the 80’s and again from 15 to 16 in 1997.
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