You have to be 16 to compete, but several Chinese girls are actually several years younger. This is commonly known, BUT the only proof of age necessary for the Olympics is a passport; passports which the Chinese government is only too happy to forge for them.
“This is a joke,” Former American and Romanian gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi said last week. “What the Chinese are doing is a slap in the face of the whole world, but there is nothing we can do about it.”
"The smallest of the six competitors is Deng Linlin, 4 feet 6 inches and 68 pounds. The team’s average size is 4-9 and 77 pounds. That is 3 ½ shorter and nearly 30 pounds lighter than the average for the United States team. Shawn Johnson, a favorite in the all-around, is the only American gymnast both shorter than 5 feet (4-9) and lighter than 100 pounds (90)."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/sp...tml?ref=sports
I'm offended. F*** China. How dare they cheat so blatantly at a time when they're supposed to be on their best behavior? I'm angry at the IOC, too. They should step up and disqualify this team.