And gymnastics is not the only Chinese sport where athlete birth dates seem changeable. The Los Angeles Times has received records for female diver Chen Ruolin that indicated her birth date as April 26, 1994, changed in 2007.
As reported by the New China (Xinhua) news agency on July 18, Chen was born Dec. 12, 1992, in the Jiangsu province.
But according to a 2003 Chinese national diving registration list that still could be found online as of Sunday night, Chen was born on April 26, 1994. Her birth date remained the same in 2004, 2005 and 2006, but on the 2007 list, it was changed to Dec. 12, 1992.
If the 1994 birth date is correct, Chen competed illegally at the 2007 world championships, where she won a silver medal in the 10-meter platform and a gold medal with teammate Jia Tong in the 10-meter synchronized platform.
In diving, competitors must turn 14 during the year they compete in any official World Cup, World Championship or Olympics. So Chen is eligible for these Olympics but may not have been when she competed at the 2007 world championships.
Asked if Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games was concerned with the questions about possibly underage Chinese athletes, spokesman Sun Weide said Monday, "You have to check your facts. You have to check with the Chinese Olympic Committee."
Zhou Jihong, the national diving team leader, told the Tribune, "Those newspaper reports about Chen [being] underage are not true. We can fax to you Chen Ruolin's birth certificate and ID card to prove it. We don't want the rumor to affect our athletes two weeks before the Olympic Games." |