Chinese Official: Bone-Age Analysis to End Falsification of Official Documents

Yang Yun (L) and Dong Fangxiao (R)

It seems that China, especially in the sport of gymnastics, is under constant scrutiny about age-falsification of many of their athletes. One Chinese sports official is hoping to clean up China’s image by taking extra steps in preventing forgery of documents.

A leading Chinese sports official is calling for the implementation of bone-age analysis to stop athletes from faking
their birth certificates to qualify for events.

Cai Zhenhua, the vice president of the State General Administration of Sport, was quoted as saying in Tuesday’s official People’s Daily newspaper that age fraud besmirches China’s national image and tramples on the principle of fair competition.

Read full article here (USA Today)

As many gymnastics fans know, it was not long ago that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a podium altering decision 10 years following the 2000 Olympic Games. After a long investigation, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) cancelled all the results of Dong Fangxiao from the 2000 Sydney Games and recommended that the IOC strip the Chinese of their bronze medal from team competition. Resultantly, the United States women gymnastics team received that medal. Yang Yun, who won a bronze on uneven bars, also was suspected of being as young as 14 in Sydney, but there was insufficient evidence to prove her age had been falsified. FIG, instead, gave her a warning.

The implementation of such a program then raises the issue of the accuracy of such tests. Also, how invasive is a bone age analysis?  Such analysis, if shown to be accurate and minimally invasive could help the reputation of China in sport.