The Chinese women's gymnastics team has been hounded with questions about the ages of some of its members, but the IOC said while they are investigating the claim, there's no proof anyone lied.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday they would probe allegations that several of the team's members were underage after there were "a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," according to the IOC spokesperson Giselle Davies.
Davies said the IOC has asked the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to investigate the matter after fresh allegations surfaced. Online documents were found on the Internet that suggest some of the girls are as young as 14.
"The IOC is simply wanting to do its due diligence and work with the Federation to 100 per cent clarify this situation and put this to rest," Davies said. "That's what is in the process of being done."
But the IOC also said that so far, all the documents they have received from the team prove the girls on the Olympic team are at least the required age of 16.
"So far, everything that has been received demonstrates we have no problem for the eligibility of the competitors," said Christophe Dubi, the IOC's sports director.
The gymnasts contributed four medals to China's medal count. The team won gold as did gymnast He Kexin for her bar routine. Yang Yilin won two bronze medals in the all-around competition and in uneven bars.
Team officials gave the FIG new documents on Thursday, Chinese coach Lu Shanzhen told The Associated Press. Lu said the documents - an old passport, residency card and a current ID card-- all prove He was in fact legally able to compete.
The documents were all issued by different departments within the Chinese government. Lu said he had nothing more to put forward as evidence.
Speaking to Â鶹´«Ã½ through an interpreter, Lu said unreasonable media criticism is to blame for people doubting his team.
FIG is expected to release a statement on their investigation late Friday, said Andrei Gueisbuhler, FIG's secretary general.
"For the time being there is nothing I can add," he said.
Passports are considered "an accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," the FIG has said throughout the games. The federation has also said that China's gymnasts have all presented ones that show they are eligible. The IOC has also seen the girls' passports and have confirmed their eligibility.
But media reports in China have suggested that three of the gymnasts -- He, Yang and Jiang Yuyuan -- might be much younger than 16.
A 2007 online news report from China's state-run news agency hailed He as the 13-year-old queen of gymnastics. Then six months later the same headline referred to He as being 16.
At one time China's Ministry of Sport website listed He's birthday as Jan. 1, 1994 but since then, that listing has been deleted.
China isn't the first country to be accused of cheating in gymnastics. Ever since the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 in the 1980s and then to 16 in 1997, age falsification has been a serious problem.
Kim Gwang Suk, a North Korean gold medalist, was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials realized she was listed as being 15 years old for three years in a row.
In 2002, Romania admitted falsifying the ages of several gymnasts, including Olympic medallists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.
Younger gymnasts likely have fewer injuries and are generally more flexible, giving them an advantage over older players when it comes to tough routines. However, the age requirement was raised to prevent younger athletes from putting too much strain on their developing bodies.
Last week the IOC's medical commissioner said proving someone's real age is practically impossible.
"This is a problem when you have an age limit that there is a temptation for manipulation," said Arne Ljungqvist. "How to prove that is very difficult."
With a report from Â鶹´«Ã½ Lisa LaFlamme
