United States' Nastia Liukin (C), her compatriot Shawn Johnson (R) and China's Yilin Yang (L) stand on the podium after the women's individual all-around final of the artistic gymnastics event of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 15, 2008. United States' Nastia Liukin won the gold, her compatriot Shawn Johnson the silver and China's Yilin Yang the bronze.
Yilin Yang is only 14 years old! The minimum age of gymnasts must be 16 years to compete in the Olympics, according to rules. The mounting evidence suggests that Chinese gymnast He Kexin and at least one more gymnast, gold medal and double-bronze medal winner Yilin Yang, are only 14 years old.
IOC’s Media Relations Manager in Beijing, Emmanuelle Moreau, said that the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) would be responding to the IOC Saturday, Beijing time. “Bear with me for a few more hours,” Moreau said.
“We requested the FIG to look into the matter when we received further information and evidence from various sources, including the media,” Moreau said. “We expect them (FIG) to come back with some new information. When we have that, we will [discuss] with executives … to take necessary action. We have a group within the IOC to look into cases like this, should we have evidence.”
Yilin Yang, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson
