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Hot female gymnasts: Simona Peycheva (Bul) - PICS
The elegant Simona Peycheva is a Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast. She is one of the big names in world's gymnastics.
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IOC Finally Looking at Ages of Chinese Gymnasts
With the parents growing indignant and the Beijing Games winding down, the International Olympic Committee wants to ``put to rest'' persistent questions about the age of China's gold medal women's gymnastics team. With the parents growing indignant and the Beijing Games winding down, the International Olympic Committee wants to ``put to rest'... more
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IOC: "No Proof" China Cheated
"BEIJING -- Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal, the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated and believes the controversy will be "put to rest."
The IOC asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. But all of the information the Chinese gymnastics federation has presented so far supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete.
"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said. "The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation -- including birth certificates.""
Head in sand, people. "BEIJING -- Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team that won t... more -
Did the Chinese cheat? International Olympic Committee launches probe into He Kexi...
Was she 14 or 16? Who knows but we may find out...
excerpt...
The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into mounting allegations that Chinese authorities covered up the true age of their gold-medal winning gymnastics star because she was too young to compete.
An IOC official told The Times that because of "discrepancies" that have come to light about the age of He Kexin, the host nation’s darling who won gold in both team and individual events, an official inquiry has been launched that could result in the gymnast being stripped of her medals. Was she 14 or 16? Who knows but we may find out... excerpt... ... more -
Best of Olympics Day 12 - Photos
The best of Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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Hackers unearth more underage gymnast allegations
Hackers have unearthed more compelling evidence that China's dual-gold medal winning gymnast He Kexin is underaged and should have been barred from competing at the Olympics.
A US-based internet security consultant and part-time hacker calling himself "Stryde Hax" has trawled through the search results on Google, Google China and the Chinese search engine Baidu, unearthing numerous examples of cached official Excel spreadsheet showing He Kexin listed as being born on January 1, 1994.
Search engines work by trawling the web and indexing search results. They usually take a snapshot of their findings at the same time in a process known as caching. So while original web pages can expire or be removed, the cached snapshot of the page can usually still be recovered.
The 1.42-metre (4'8") tall gymnast was part of the women's gymnastic team which won gold and then took an individual gold medal in the uneven bars at the Beijing Olympics. If correct, that would make her 14 instead of 16 and under the competition rules, gymnasts must be aged 16 in the year an Olympics takes place in order to qualify to compete.
The rules were put into place to avoid exploiting younger gymnasts, who have more flexible bodies. Hackers have unearthed more compelling evidence that China's dual-gold medal winning gymnast He Kexin is underaged and should hav... more -
Proof that He Kexin is 14 Years Old
There's been some widely publicized controversy regarding the competition age of the Chinese women's gymnastics team recently. Rather than be too CNN, I decided to take a page from my friend Johnny and investigate on my own. I have an Internet connection, that means I should be able to verify the age of the gymnasts in question with primary state-issued documents and find out for myself if someone's cheating, right? Right. Let's go to work. There's been some widely publicized controversy regarding the competition age of the Chinese women's gymnastics team recentl... more
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Beijing Olympics - Day 10
Photos of the best of Monday, August 18, 2008.
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Hot gymnast Sandra Izbasa - PICS
The romanian gymnast Sandra Izbasa is an Olympic gold medalist
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Chinese Olympic gymnasts really third trimester fetuses, claims IOC
The Spoof:
Beijing, China - In a display of unprecedented backbone ever shown by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in recent years, the IOC announced today that it intends to launch a formal investigation into the alleged violation of IOC rules by the practice of recruiting, training and usage of fetuses on the Chinese Olympic gymnastics team.
IOC officials became involved when other Olympic team members participating from other countries kept slipping on the mats and falling from the rings and balancing beam every time after the Chinese Olympic team members used them.
"I first thought it was perspiration," said Bob McCormick, assistant gymnastic coach for the women's USA team. "Later, testing of a sample of the slippery substance provided to be embryonic fluid." The Spoof: ... more -
Olympics: Gymnastics - Chinese duo He Kexin and Yang Yilin are too young to compet...
· Rule states that competitors must be at least 16 years old
· Documents produced which say gymnasts are underage
The success of the Chinese gymnasts in the final of the uneven bars apparatus - He Kexin won the gold medal and Yang Yilin the bronze – has stirred up the controversy of whether either gymnast has reached the qualifying age for international competition.
In 1997, to counter the increasing trend towards younger and younger gymnasts, the International Gymnastics Federation introduced a rule that competitors must be 16 in the year that the event is held.
Online documents, listed in a series of articles by The New York Times and followed up by Associated Press at the end of July and in August, call into question whether either of the gymnasts will reach their 16th birthday this year.
The documents relating to He include a page from the Chengdu Sports Bureau website from 2006, which gave her year of birth as 1994, a report in last November's Cities Games at Wuhan which gave her age then as 13, and a story in the China Daily newspaper in May this year, which gave her age as 14. · Rule states that competitors must be at least 16 years old · Documents produced which say gymnasts are underage ... more -
Chinese gymnasts too young to compete, web documents show
Just last week, questions were raised about the ages of two of Yang’s teammates. The New York Times reported that online records listed the gymnasts, He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan, as being too young for this Olympics, perhaps as young as 14.
A national registry of gymnasts, which had been blocked online but was viewable through Google cache, listed He’s birthday as Jan. 1, 1994. That date was also listed for her on a registration for an intercity competition in Chengdu, China.
Jiang was born on Oct. 1, 1993 and is not yet 15, according to a listing of junior competitors from the Zhejiang Province sports administration. The list of athletes included national identification card numbers into which birth dates are embedded. Chinese officials have produced passports showing that He and Jiang are 16, making them old enough to compete at the Games. Just last week, questions were raised about the ages of two of Yang’s teammates. The New York Times reported that online records liste... more -
The mystery of the honey-toting gymnasts
What is that honey bottle gymnasts pass around before an event? The answer will surpise you...
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Gymnastic Wipeouts
Montage of gymnastic wipeouts. All together now - ouch!
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Nastia Liukin in action - girl's photos from the Olympic Games
The beautiful Nastia won the golden medal in the Gymnastics showing flawless performance...
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"Xinhua Report" says Chinese Gymnast is 13!
Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the women's team that won a gold medal this week.
In its report Nov. 3, Xinhua identified He as one of "10 big new stars" who made a splash at China's Cities Games. It gave her age as 13 and reported that she beat Yang Yilin on the uneven bars at those games. In the final, "this little girl" pulled off a difficult release move on the bars known as the Li Na, named for another Chinese gymnast, Xinhua said in the report, which appeared on one of its Web sites, www.hb.xinhuanet.com.
The Associated Press found the Xinhua report on the site Thursday morning. Later that afternoon, the Web site was still working but the page was no longer accessible. Sports editors at the state-run news agency would not comment for publication.
If the age reported by Xinhua was correct, that would have meant He was too young to be on the Chinese team that beat the U.S. on Wednesday and clinched China's first women's team Olympic gold in gymnastics.
Yang was also on Wednesday's winning team. Questions have also been raised about her age and that of a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan.
Gymnasts have to be 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible for the Games. He's birthday is listed as Jan. 1, 1992.
Chinese authorities insist that all three are old enough to compete. He told reporters after Wednesday's final that "my real age is 16. I don't pay any attention to what everyone says."
Zhang Hongliang, an official with China's gymnastics delegation, said Thursday the differing ages which have appeared in Chinese media reports had not been checked in advance with the gymnastics federation.
"It's definitely a mistake," Zhang said of the Xinhua report. "Never has any media outlet called me to check the athletes' ages." Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13... more -
Women's Gymnastics - Finals (PHOTO GALLERY)
Many hot pictures of the American sensation - Nastia Liukin & Shawn Johnson. Beijing 2008.
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The IOC must investigate the Chinese gymnasts' ages or lose all credibility
The Olympics’ age-old problem
By Dan Wetzel,
BEIJING – For a long time, elements of the Chinese government itself thought women’s gymnast He Kexin was born Jan. 1, 1994, which would make her 14 and too young to compete in these Summer Olympics.
Whether it was repeated mentions in the government-controlled media – including a new one uncovered Friday by the Associated Press – or on official gymnastic meet registration forms and websites, He was “this little girl” and a “new star.”
As recently as December 2007, in provincial gymnastics meets and news reports that covered it, she was a 13-year-old prodigy, too young for the 16-year-old Olympic age limit for gymnastics.
Then, suddenly, she wasn’t.
Earlier this year China produced her passport that claimed she was born Jan. 1, 1992, making her old enough to perform a brilliant uneven bar routine and push China to the women’s all around gold medal.
The Chinese either got it wrong in 2007 or wrong in 2008. Considering 2000 Chinese bronze medalist Yang Yun later admitted on state television she was 14 that year, the reported ages of He Kexin and at least two of her teammates have aroused suspicion in nearly everyone except the powers that be – the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Both organizations accepted the new passport as fact, certified He and tried to cover their collective ears at all the complaints. Wednesday, the IOC even slipped a gold medal around He Kexin’s neck.
If the IOC had a modicum of decency and courage (don’t count on it), it would open an immediate investigation into whether it might take that medal right back.
If not for the of-age gymnasts who lost to the Chinese, then for He and her diminutive teammates, who – if they actually are old enough – don’t deserve suspicion tainting their accomplishment.
While the IOC undoubtedly is petrified of humiliating the host country in such a scandal, doing nothing merely humiliates the IOC and continues the belief that the organization is about money, not fair play.
continued........... The Olympics’ age-old problem By Dan Wetzel, ... more -
Pictures of Anna Pavlova
The russian Anna Pavlova is a gymnastic from the russian olympic team.
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A Real Look At Chinese Gymnastics!
Children practice doing handstands at the Li Xiaoshuang Gymnastics School in Xiantao, central China's Hubei province, October 2007. More than 60 children aged between three and 10 from all over China train at the boardingA young student wipes her eye as she rest during a training session at the Gymnastics Hall of the Shanghai University of Sports October 10, 2007. Students of the gymnastics class of Yangpu District Youth Sports School are all aged between 5 and 9. China's future Olympic hopefuls train at one of the thousands of provincial sports schools around the country.A coach stretches a young gymnastic student during a training session at the Gymnastics Hall of the Shanghai University of Sports October 2007. Students of the gymnastics class of Yangpu District Youth Sports School are all aged between 5 and 9. China's future Olympic hopefuls train at one of the thousands of provincial sports schools around the country.
Young gymnasts in training at a sports school in Beijing. A young student wipes her eye as she rest during a training session at the Gymnastics Hall of the Shanghai University of Sports October 10, 2007. Students of the gymnastics class of Yangpu District Youth Sports School are all aged between 5 and 9. China's future Olympic hopefuls train at one of the thousands of provincial sports schools around the country. Children practice doing handstands at the Li Xiaoshuang Gymnastics School in Xiantao, central China's Hubei province, October 200... more
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Gymnastics
