China named its Olympic women’s gymnastics team on Friday, and the inclusion of two athletes has again raised questions about whether they are using under-age competitors.Chinese officials responded immediately, providing The New York Times with copies of passports indicating that both athletes in question — He Kexin, a gold-medal favourite in the uneven parallel bars, and Jiang Yuyuan—are 16, the minimum age for Olympic eligibility. Officials with the International Gymnastics Federation (IGF) said questions about He’s age had been raised but that Chinese authorities presented information to show that she is 16.Online records posted on official websites in China, along with ages given in the official Chinese media, however, seem to contradict the information, indicating that He and Jiang may be as young as 14 — two years below limit. An advantage for younger gymnasts is that they are lighter and often fearless when they perform difficult maneuvers, said Nellie Kim, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and now president of the women’s technical committee for the IGF. “It’s easier to do tricks,” Kim said. “And psychologically, I think they worry less.”In Chinese newspapers this year, He was listed as 14. The Times found two online records of official registration lists that list He’s birthday as January 1, 1994, which would make her 14 — a 2007 national registry of Chinese gymnasts — now blocked in China — and another registration list, dated January 27, 2006, regarding an “intercity” competition in Chengdu. The birth date on He’s passport is given as January 1, 1992. The other gymnast, Jiang, is listed on her passport as born on November 1, 1991, which would make her 16. A different birth date (October 1, 1993) appears on a list of junior competitors from the Zhejiang Province sports administration.The IGF said it had contacted Chinese officials in May about the gymnasts’ ages. “We heard these rumours, and we immediately wrote to the Chinese gymnastics federation,” said André Gueisbuhler, IGF secretary general. “They immediately sent a copy of the passport, and everything is OK. That’s all we can check.”Privately, some officials said that even if other countries had real concerns, they might be reluctant to make accusations for fear of reprisals by judges at the Beijing Games.
