Just over one week ago, I mentioned that there was still so much to say about the age scandal that erupted around the sport of gymnastics at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Even though the closing ceremonies have long since ended, the athletes have returned home, and the world’s attention has shifted to other topics, this story has yet to come to an adequate resolution. Indeed, the official investigation into the allegations of age falsification hasn’t even offered us the ruling that IOC president Jacques Rogge promised would be imminent following the conclusion of the games. While a far away committee is quietly going about the business of supposedly determining the truth, one can’t help but wonder why a once-imminent decision has instead opted to silently drift out of society’s consciousness.
Those of us who have been following these allegations have not forgotten and we continued investigations of our own. In my previous blog entries about this subject, I’ve mentioned that I’ve been working with Mike Walker to archive government documents that have surfaced on the Internet, which support our claims that as many as five out of the six women on China’s gymnastics team are in fact under the minimum required age of sixteen. So many people, in so many countries, have found so many documents on so many official Chinese government servers that keeping track of all of them makes my head spin. But none of these myriad documents proved to be as conclusive – as concretely astounding – as one single video. This simple seven-minute-long video speaks to a tradition of manipulation within China; a history of falsifying documents and misrepresenting athletes, in order to enter underage gymnasts into international competition.
How is this proven? What possible evidence could be so thoroughly damning?
The athlete’s own words.
The video, produced by China’s state-run television network, is an interview with Yang Yun, a young female gymnast who competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The same minimum age requirement that brought up so much controversy at the Beijing Games was also in effect then. Yang Yun’s passport said she was sixteen. She says she was fourteen.
With a direct admission from the athlete herself, we see solid evidence that China is no stranger to falsifying government documents, lying to the IOC, cheating at international competitions, deceiving the rest of the world, and prospering because of it. Yang Yun helped her team win the bronze medal in Sydney and left the games with three medals. Now, years later, Yang Yun enjoys a pleasant life and her story is told to inspire her countrymen.
Contrast that with the story of American athlete, Marion Jones. At the very same Olympic Games in Sydney, Jones became an international darling on the track. She set out to win five gold medals and her pursuit inspired pride in her home country. Despite not achieving her goal, she came home a hero with three golds and two bronze – a feat that no female athlete had ever accomplished. However, despite her achievements, despite the Olympic glory she brought to her country, it was her country who discovered she was doping. Not only was she stripped of her medals, but she was prosecuted for using performance enhancing drugs and perjury. She’s currently in prison.
Consider the differences between these two stories. Both involve cheating, but each athlete meets a different consequence. One is a national darling with a career in broadcasting and a bright future. The other was brought to justice for her deceitful actions and is paying the price. One nation not only harbors, but encourages cheating, while the other sacrifices its national glory for the demands of justice in the name of good sportsmanship.
Despite all this, I do not think that Yang Yun deserves a prison cell. She is not to blame, although one would hope she could find it within herself to be honest. Rather, the system that bred in her a disregard for the truth and a willing compliance in deceit is what deserves to face the consequences of its actions. Those consequences will never be met if those of us who are aware of its misdeeds don’t demand that justice is satisfied.
It is in this spirit that Mike Walker & I undertook the effort to have this video translated into English for the very first time. Now that the evidence is available to the rest of the world, we hope that the truth can finally be examined fairly, outside the realm of China’s control. Our hope is that this will inspire the governing bodies of sport to do the right thing and enforce their own rules. It is for this reason that we present, “Yang Yun”.
The video was produced by Mike “Stryde Hax” Walker & myself. “Cindy”, our brave and anonymous friend in China, was responsible for the translation. The subtitles and video editing were done by me, Heather Lawver.
I would like to encourage all of you to write to the International Olympic Committee and the International Gymnastics Federation, to remind them that the world is watching and that we care about what happens when rules are violated and cheaters prosper. Also, as previously mentioned, please remember this isn’t just about cheating! This is about the well-being of the athletes themselves. The minimum age requirement was put in place to prevent harsh and abusive training practices that cause irreparable harm to the athletes. These Chinese gymnasts begin intensive training at two and three years old, which results in their bodies and abilities peaking at an age too young to be healthy. Just as in Yang Yun’s case, they are forced through injuries again and again, leaving their bodies forever damaged.
For every visible scar, please also bear in mind the scars we cannot see; the psychological and emotional abuse of childhoods spent in gymnastic training facilities, away from their families. These Chinese athletes are taken against their will as toddlers and forced into these dangerous training programs. Remember what their parents must go through; in a country where couples are only allowed to have one child, that child is taken from them by force. Not only are the athletes physically harmed by such intensive training, but imagine the incalculable psychological and emotional turmoil they and their families must endure. Finally, spare a thought for those who fell along the way, compelled to sacrifice all of this, only to never see the glory that Yang Yun saw in Sydney.
It is for these reasons that the current investigation must not be allowed to be swept under the rug. A decision must be reached, one that is fair and has the best interests of the athletes at heart. Remind the IOC and the FIG of their duties and perhaps this will be the first step toward reform in China.
Visit The Official Yang Yun Movie Site
Please visit for a full press release, additional information, and a downloadable copy of the video.
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Tell the IOC & FIG about Yang Yun! |
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International Olympic Committee |
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique |
• Email Addresses •
FIG President Bruno Grandi, Italy
figpresident AT fig-gymnastics DOT it
FIG Vice-President Michel Leglise, France
michel.leglise AT ffgym DOT net
FIG Vice-President Koji Takizawa, Japan
k.t.takky AT khf.biglobe DOT ne.jp
FIG Vice-President Slava Corn, Canada
slava.corn AT senecac DOT on.ca
Athletes Commission President Eva Serrano, France
eva AT eva-serrano.com
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