The 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia that is. China has been stripped of its team Bronze medal for women’s gymnastics at the 2000 Sydney games because China’s Dong Fangxiao was not really 16 yet – the minimum age for Olympic competition for the sport of gymnastics. Her documents had been forged – most likely without her knowing. I feel bad for the gymnast. The coaches, team coordinators and the ADULTS in charge are the ones who really need to be punished – just as those who take illegal substances in sport are – by being banned.

And, if the Chinese cheated in 2000 by altering the ages of their athletes, what makes us think that was an isolated incident? I tend to think it was not isolated, rather standard practice for them. The IOC needs to really take a closer look at their teams in 2004 and 2008, too. Just sayin’!

The members of the 2000 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team are now the Bronze medalists. The team members are Amy Chow, Jamie Dantzscher, Dominique Dawes, Kristin Maloney, Elise Ray and Tasha Schwikert, along with Morgan White, who was named to the team but was injured prior to the Games and alternate Alyssa Beckerman. Bela Karolyi was the national team coordinator, with Kelli Hill as head coach and Steve Rybacki as assistant coach.

I’m sure none of these athletes ever expected to get an outcome like this!

What do you think? Will more minimum age and document falsifications come to light? Should gymnastics even have a minimum age for Olympic competition?