Age Discrepancies for Chinese Skaters

[oleada]

So, this was originally posted in the Entries thread in the 4CC Forum, but IMO, it warrants its own thread and further discussion.

This was posted in the 4CC Entries thread: Chinese Athlete Ages (document from the Chinese Olympic Committee website)

The following birth dates do not match up with what is posted on the athletes ISU Bios.

Wenjing Sui:
ISU Birthdate: 18.07.1995 (15)
Listed Birthdate: 07.05.1997 (13)

Cong Han
ISU Birthdate: 06.08.1992 (18)
Listed Birthdate: 3.1989 (21)

Bingwa Geng
ISU Birthdate: 03.01.1994 (17)
Listed Birthdate: 03.03.1995 (15)

Yu Gao
ISU Birthdate: 10.07.1992 (18)
Listed Birthdate: 10.07.1988 (22)

HisWeirness found this at a Chinese Skating forum (all links/info reposted with her permission):

Geng Ice Baby 1995-03-03
Zhang Kexin 1995-10-17
Lizi Jun 1996-12-14

Zhang Kexin smaller than ice baby a few months. . .

do not leak out,
Otherwise there are a gymnastics team storm the investigation.

Geng's Japanese Wikipedia article also lists her birth year as 1995.

She also found the following links at that same website:

http://images.sport.org.cn/File/2007...1531155992.xls
images.sport.org.cn/File/2009/09/22/1505096846.doc
images.sport.org.cn/File/2007/07/30/1828025124.xls

Now, those links have even more info:

Dan Zhang:
ISU Birthdate: 04.10.1985 (25)
Listed Birthdate: 04.10.1987 (23)

Hao Zhang:
ISU Birthdate: 06.07.1984 (26)
Listed Birthdate: 06.02.1982 (29)

Xiaoyu Yu
ISU Birthdate: 02.01.1996 (14)
Listed Birthdate: 02.01.1998 (12)

Yang Jin
ISU Birthdate: 16.05.1994 (16)
Listed Birthdate: 16.05.1989 (21)

Binshu Xu
ISU Birthdate: 28.07.1988 (22)
Listed Birthdate: 29.07.1990 (20)

So, if these birthdates are correct:
- Sui was too young to compete as a junior last year and too young to be on the SGP this year
- Han was not age eligible to compete in the JGP this year
- Gao was not age eligible to compete in the JGP this year
- Geng was too young for 2008 Junior Worlds
- Dan Zhang was too young to compete in the JGP and Junior Worlds in 1999/2000 and too young to compete at the Olympics, Worlds and 4CC in 2002.
- Binshu Xu was too young to compete as a junior in the 2002/2003 season
- Xiaoyu Yu was too young for 2010 Junior Worlds (illegal entry) and is too young to compete internationally as a junior in the 2010/2011 season.

So yeah. Feel free to post any other info you might have or find. Or point out any mistakes I made.

Not suprising, but disappointing and I'm pissed.

ETA: Added info found by jlai on Yu/Jin

ETA: Added Sylvia's info on BinShu Xu

[Jenna]

Thank you for starting this thread, Oleada. More people need to know about this consistent rule breaking! It is atrocious.

[letsskate]

wow, thanks for posting!! why am i not surprised....

The sad thing is rarely do the chinese get punished for it, their gymnastic team still hasn't got punished for it for the age fraud for 2008 beijing olympics..

[oleada]

The sad thing is rarely do the chinese get punished for it, their gymnastic team still hasn't got punished for it for the age fraud for 2008 beijing olympics..

Yeah, it doesn't matter what date is on the passport and ID if it's consistent. Even if that date is fake.

[chipso1]

This is so ridiculous. I know you can't blame the skaters, but how do you not punish the Chinese fed?

[barbk]

I hope someone has grabbed all the possible screen captures. China has made these "go away" before.

[oleada]

I hope someone has grabbed all the possible screen captures. China has made these "go away" before.

[chipso1]

I hope someone has grabbed all the possible screen captures. China has made these "go away" before.

I have, and I know oleada has as well. We really ought to email the ISU about this...

[Sylvia]

Those documents linked by oleada are all from http://www.sport.org.cn/ (the "Chinese Olympic Committee official website," according to Google translate).

Obviously, the Chinese federation can control all official documents (passports, birth certificates, etc.) that are presented to the ISU on behalf of their skaters, which makes it very difficult for anything to be either proven or done about these age/birthdate discrepancies, unfortunately.

However...

NBC Sports article (April 28, 2010): China Punished For Using 14-Year-Old Gymnast; Country stripped of team bronze from 2000 Sydney Olympics
Relevant excerpts:

The International Olympic Committee acted after investigations by the sport’s governing body determined that Dong Fangxiao was only 14 at the 2000 Games. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.
...
The IOC also told the Chinese to “ensure, by all means, that the athletes and officials of its delegation comply with all rules and regulations (of the international federation) particularly with regard to age limits.”
...
Questions about Dong’s eligibility arose during the FIG’s investigation into the ages of China’s team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Media reports and Internet records suggested some of the girls on that team could have been as young as 14.

The FIG cleared the Beijing Games gymnasts in October 2008 after Chinese officials provided original passports, ID cards and family registers showing all of the gymnasts were old enough to compete. But the FIG said it wasn’t satisfied with “the explanations and evidence provided to date” for Dong and a second gymnast, Yang Yun.

Dong’s accreditation information for the Beijing Olympics, where she worked as a national technical official, listed her birthday as Jan. 23, 1986. That would have made her 14 in Sydney — too young to compete. Her birth date in the FIG database is listed as Jan. 20, 1983.

Dong’s blog also said she was born in the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac, which dates from Feb. 20, 1985, to Feb. 8, 1986.

[Jenna]

Obviously, the Chinese federation can control all official documents (passports, birth certificates, etc.) that are presented to the ISU on behalf of their skaters, which makes it very difficult for anything to be either proven or done about these age/birthdate discrepancies, unfortunately.

Of course, it is likely we will get nowhere with the ISU but it certainly is worth trying...exposing these docs. might help. I have the site saved as well..just in case it decides to "disappear." I'm all for confronting the ISU if others want to join me. This type of cheating cannot be tolerated. Japan couldn't send Asada to Torino nor could Korea send Kim. The United States couldn't send their best team to 08 Worlds either, but all of these nations had to follow the rules. China shouldn't be an exception.

[oleada]

I used the contact form on the ISU's website with a link last night. Hopefully they read their mail.
Others should contact them too, especially if you have connections

[MikiAndoFan#1]

This is an outrage. Situations like these shouldn't be allowed. Something must be done.

[caseyedwards]

At the 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships three Chinese pairs teams competed when only 2 were eligible. No one thought to check until after the competition. Of course people here noted it. In Gynastics ALL North Korean athletes were banned from worlds because of age inconsistency. Imagine if ALL Chines skaters were banned from 2011 worlds or 2012 worlds! That would never happen probably.

[Gil-Galad]

I know that they know that they can get away with it - but this carelessness is simply disappointing. If you cheat, at least do it with style and care, like a good Slytherin - you just don't leave tons of documents all over the Internet that can provoke a discussion full of and . It's just not good for our nerves.

[HisWeirness]

Here is a Google-translated English version of the 2007 Chinese Skaters Ages Spreadsheet linked to above.

In the 2007 document Cong Han's birthdate is listed as 1992/08/06 which matches the ISU date.
Wenjing Sui's birthdate is listed as 1997/05/03.
Bingwa Geng's birthdate is listed as 1995/03/03.


2010 Chinese Skater Ages - linked in the first post

I will try to compare these two and all of the age lists (rest of the ones linked in the first post) when I get some time.

[Squibble]

At the 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships three Chinese pairs teams competed when only 3 were eligible. No one thought to check until after the competition. Of course people here noted it. In Gynastics ALL North Korean athletes were banned from worlds because of age inconsistency. Imagine if ALL Chines skaters were banned from 2011 worlds or 2012 worlds! That would never happen probably.

I don't know about that, and the penalty is much more severe:

ISU Rule 108(4)

Each Member must ensure that Skaters entered for Senior and Junior Competitions, ISU Championships and Olympic Winter Games fulfill the requirements of the Rules. In case of violation, the Member concerned may lose the right to send Skaters the following year to all Senior and Junior (as the case may be) ISU Championships and International Competitions.

"International Competitions" would include Cup of China (which I suppose might be scrapped or replaced for a year).

[letsskate]

In a way, i feel like the IOC dare not do much to the Chinese, so they just punished the north koreans.. not that the north koreans were innocent.. cause after all, China's becoming quite strong right now..

but seriously?? why it's ALWAYS CHINA?!?! something's gotta be done!

[BigB08822]

Imagine that, the Chinese cheating AGAIN. It will never end until very STRICT action is taken.

[DinDonShamu]

I can't understand the benefit of reporting false ages. Their ladies are not medal contenders in major ISU championships, and the age descrepancies between their pair skaters (assuming they are true) certainly aren't helping them. Look at how Dan Zhang outgrew her partner, and how Wenjing Sui might as well, in a year or two, and how they reap most of their successes from the "oldies." (Now don't tell me Xue Shen is 16 and Qing Pang 15 ... I'd find it hard pressed to buy into that )

[Squibble]

- Sui was too young to compete as a junior last year

I wonder if this explains why China sent its notorious (and illegal) third pairs entry, Yu Xiaoyu and Jin Yang, to Junior Worlds last year, i.e., someone thought that if Sui and Han were ever caught out, Yu and Jin would deemed to be the proper entry. Of course, it shouldn't work that way, but the ISU being the ISU, who knows?