Age Discrepancies for Chinese Skaters

[Coco]

Hasn't Daniela Silivas said that she was 13 in Montreal when she won her first world event final?

Romania was an egregious offender of age rules until about 2004. The hot rumor was that Andreea Munteanu was underage and that's why she got "injured" shortly before the Athens Games.

Since they don't threaten for gold on the women's side, thanks to the new code, (they suck on bars), I don't think the FIG feels that going after them is very sporting. Also, the violations were from a long time ago.

[equatorial]

I tried to do the same thing for Uzbekistan, but the Federation doesn't have a website.

I did do some investigation on Anastasia Gimazetdinova, though. She was second at Uzbekistani Nationals in 1997-98, and eighth at Four Continents in 1999. I'd say she's probably over the ISU's minimum age limit for seniors by now.

Gizmo is probably over the maximum age limit for seniors by now

[jlai]

Found a story here about a Chinese who's socially pressured into changing his age.
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/...t_22085600.htm

The story talks about Li, whose parents did not believe in falsifying age. But everyone around him did it, which made it difficult for him to survive in his team when everyone on paper was two years younger than he was, and hence had more "potential" for top-notch training or provincial and national team spots (though in reality everyone's the same age). So he finally changed his age.

The age situation also makes it difficult for the "younger" boys to date girls because on paper they are younger than the girls. It becomes, on paper, love between "little brother" and "older sister".

[jlai]

Specific FSUer's names and quotes cited here.

http://news.sohu.com/20110218/n279398173.shtml

http://big5.ce.cn/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/201...22224966.shtml

ETA: Some talk about Wenjing SUI's birthplace claiming a water pipe leak as responsible for losing Sui's records?
http://sports.163.com/11/0218/08/6T5NQ1QJ00051CAQ.html

[equatorial]

Specific FSUer's names and quotes cited here.

http://news.sohu.com/20110218/n279398173.shtml

We are a bunch of "enthusiastic netizens" But the quotes are very tame, only the 93ning one mentions a specific skater.

[Angelskates]

Specific FSUer's names and quotes cited here.

http://news.sohu.com/20110218/n279398173.shtml

http://big5.ce.cn/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/201...22224966.shtml

ETA: Some talk about Wenjing SUI's birthplace claiming a water pipe leak as responsible for losing her records?
http://sports.163.com/11/0218/08/6T5NQ1QJ00051CAQ.html

Why the ?

FSU has been promoted to a bolded subtitle!

ETA: My favourite Babel Fish translation (bold mine):

This forum is called FSU, is a world ice confuses in on-line exchange supreme headquarters. A net friend before the figure skating four continent championship tournaments (yesterday made war officially), sent the placard to inquire that two China figure skating young fellow Zhang Ke was joyful, was the Geng Bingwa age who smaller.

[jlai]

Why the ?

FSU has been promoted to a bolded subtitle!

ETA: My favourite Babel Fish translation (bold mine):

benedict david, you are famous!

[ks777]

hmm, I can't read chinese... who is Benedict David?

[oleada]

ETA: Some talk about Wenjing SUI's birthplace claiming a water pipe leak as responsible for losing Sui's records?
http://sports.163.com/11/0218/08/6T5NQ1QJ00051CAQ.html

How convenient!

[barbk]

Huh. Are the Japanese media really all over this? (That seems to be what the last article suggests.)

[Angelskates]

How convenient!

It may indeed be convenient, but it also may be true.

[julieann]

How convenient!

What next?!?

[jlai]

hmm, I can't read chinese... who is Benedict David?

An FSU poster one article mentions.

ETA: OMG, just checked Oleada's and Angelskates' rep level. So you are all document forgers

[Angelskates]

OMG, just checked Oleada's and Angelskates' rep level. So you are all document forgers

You should have known it was us all along. Though we only do the birth certificates, anything else will cost you much more.

[antmanb]

It may indeed be convenient, but it also may be true.

Yes, yes it might. Also the dog really did eat my homework.

Ant

[Sylvia]

The AP article today includes quotes from Winter Sports Administration Director Zhao Yinggang and deputy director Ren Hongguo: China taking steps to verify athletes' ages

ETA: Here's an account of the 2/18 press conference that was held in Beijing: http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2011-02-...85456334.shtml
Google translation into English: http://translate.google.com/translat...85456334.shtml

[victoriaheidi]

Darn, I didn't get quoted! Oh, well, I'm sure I still have at least one more chance to say something controversial.

[Sylvia]

The AP article today includes quotes from Winter Sports Administration Director Zhao Yinggang and deputy director Ren Hongguo: China taking steps to verify athletes' ages

ETA: Here's an account of the 2/18 press conference that was held in Beijing: http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2011-02-...85456334.shtml
Google translation into English: http://translate.google.com/translat...85456334.shtml

2/18/11 video from the press conference in Beijing (I assume the man speaking is Zhao Yinggang):
http://video.sina.com.cn/p/sports/o/...061261759.html

2/15 CCTV News report in Chinese in response to the AP story (2+ minutes long, includes skating clips of Zhang/Zhang and the Internet evidence of their birthdate discrepancies displayed on the screen and circled in red): http://video.sina.com.cn/p/sports/o/...061259153.html

[barbk]

From the google translation link Sylvia posted:
Ren Hongguo, said: "There are some players did not see the problem now, but this is no problem we have to further verification, we must be cautious, after confirmation of the announcement. Some parents are taught to children as soon as possible, the existence of individual false age, but the center are firmly opposed to it, there are problems we should be punished. "In the briefing before the ISU issued a message, said his spokesman Sai Linna Zhang Dan, Zhang Hao and Xu Bin Shu Chinese singles players have been the age of authenticity confirmed, "the three players in the age of the Chinese Olympic Committee official website of information and exactly match the ISU website information."

Anyone who knows Chinese want to venture a better translation of this sentence? I don't think Google translate is giving a very clear translation on this one.

[jlai]

From the google translation link Sylvia posted:
Ren Hongguo, said: "There are some players did not see the problem now, but this is no problem we have to further verification, we must be cautious, after confirmation of the announcement. Some parents are taught to children as soon as possible, the existence of individual false age, but the center are firmly opposed to it, there are problems we should be punished. "In the briefing before the ISU issued a message, said his spokesman Sai Linna Zhang Dan, Zhang Hao and Xu Bin Shu Chinese singles players have been the age of authenticity confirmed, "the three players in the age of the Chinese Olympic Committee official website of information and exactly match the ISU website information."

Anyone who knows Chinese want to venture a better translation of this sentence? I don't think Google translate is giving a very clear translation on this one.

A shoddy translation on my part: Some parents want to develop their kids' talent, so there are individual cases of falsifying ages, but our center is firmly opposed to this. If there are problems there'll be punishment.