Dong Fangxiao Stripped Of Bronze Medal
By Priyanka Roy Chowdhury, Gaea News NetworkThursday, April 29, 2010
BEIJING, CHINA (GaeaTimes.com)- 10 years after Dong Fangxiao made her country proud with the Women’s Gymnastics team bronze medal in Sydney Olympics 2000, the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday stripped off the medal as IT found that the athlete has falsified her age. Dong Fangxiao was younger than the minimum age of 16 that is set for the Olympics. This revelation was made by the International Gymnastics Federation (FGI) on February when it carried out a probe into the matter and found out that the athlete has registered two different ages at the Sydney and the Beijing Games in 2008.
Dong Fangxiao has registered her date of birth in the 2000 Sydney Olympics as Jan 20, 1983. However, in 2008 Beijing Olympics when she was honored to act as one of the officials, she maintained her date of birth as Jan 23, 1986. If the second is to be considered then her age accordingly in 2000 Sydney Olympics was not more than 14, two years younger than the stipulated age. On Wednesday, the IOC asked the Chinese Olympic Committee to return all the medals and diplomas that was awarded to Dong Fangxiao. Apart from the Sydney Olympics bronze medal, the 1999 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships results and FIG World Cup Series from 1999 and 2000 will also be withdrawn from the player’s credit list.
After the IOC Executive Board meeting on Wednesday, Mark Adams the Spokesman of IOC declared that the medal will be reallocated accordingly. The United States then rises up to the third position and will be likely awarded with the Bronze Medal. Steve Penny, President of the USA Gymnastics on Wednesday said that the latter is grateful to FIG and IOC for carrying out this probe. He added that every athlete wants to make a mark in the Olympics and it was no different for the USA athletes and coaches. This recognition according to him will matter a lot.
