China Gymnast He Kexin IS 14 Years Old. Says China. Oops!

The Associated Press located a report on the morning of August 14, 2008 that indicated in November 2007 Chinese gymnast He Kexin was 13 years of age. Later that same afternoon that same Xinhua Chinese news agency report was no longer accessible.

We’ve already uncovered and preserved Chinese press articles ourselves that indicate He Kexin’s age is indeed 14.

The International Olympic Committee is (finally) launching an investigation into Chinese gold-medal-winning gymnast He Kexin’s age. Mike Walker, a United States computer expert, said that he had uncovered Chinese documents that prove He Kexin is just 14, making her ineligible to compete.

Officials in China insist she is 16. He Kexin herself says she’s 16.

She’s 14.

Here are two articles where we’ve uncovered He Kexin’s age as 14, per China’s press. The link to one of these sites is currently working, the other is not. The one that is not we recovered the data and posting those links via cache.

We’ll go ahead and provide the screen prints we snapped should everything magically modify or disappear all together. Again.

China Gymnast He Kexin, at age 14.
Per China Daily and … China

Both are via .cn domains, articles are from May 2008.

CHINA.ORG.CN

CHINA DAILY

There are other Chinese gymnasts whose age is in question as well.

The birth date of Yang Yilin was listed as August 26, 1993 on official national registration lists posted by the General Administration of Sport of China website from 2004-2006.

Today on Yang Yilin passport her birth date is August 26, 1992.

Jiang Yuyuan’s birthday was October 1, 1993 on a registration list for a 2007 competition. According to her passport she was born November 1, 1991.

Magic.

Gymnastics deserve better from everyone. This cloud of controversy isn’t fair to the Chinese, the other countries participating in these events, or anyone else, and it shouldn’t have to be played out in media quotes and websites before the IOC will do their job and investigate these matters.

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