Gold Medal Chinese Gymnast He Kexin May Be Underage

Just days after reports surfaced that the Chinese Olympic committee was faking the song which kicked off last week's opening ceremonies comes the accusation the Chinese are faking ages as well. Amid allegations that three of the Chinese gold medalist gymnasts are underage, The Associated Press reports they've tracked down a story reported by the Chinese government news agency Xinhua that He Kexin, a member of the team, is only 13. Back in November, the agency named Kexin one the country's rising stars as she beat Yang Yilin on the uneven bars at the China Cities Games. At that time, Xinhua reported Kexin's age to be 13. According to the AP report, they found this page on Thursday morning, saved a copy, and then went back later in the day but the page was no longer working. This report follows news earlier this week that the young girl who sang during the opening ceremonies was actually lip-synching, and that a different girl performed the song. According to Olympic rules, gymnasts have to be 16 or turn 16 during the Olympic year in order to be eligible to compete. Currently, according to her passport, Kexin's birth date is January 1, 1992. The International Gymnastics Federation said that a passport is acceptable to prove eligibility. If the Xinhua report is correct, however, Kexin is too young to be a part of the team that knocked the U.S. squad to the silver medal stand.