The controversy has hit even Slashdot community here:

link

Seems someone did an advanced search on Google and Baidu to find actual government documents saying He Kexin is 14.

One blogger has found a deleted sports.gov.cn page which lists He Kexin's birthday: "何可欣","女","1994.1.1","湖北" That would make her 14.

The page is still in Baidu cache, see link
Pretty definitive if you ask me.

[Expanded tinyurl. -JM]

And they're thumbing their nose at Baidu as well...

link

Is the speculation on He Kexin's age still ongoing, or have foreign journalists in Beijing collectively decided not to use their press freedom to press the IOC?

Instead of asking He Kexin about her 15th birthday party and Chinese zodiac sign, why don't western reporters ask to see her national identity card instead?

Why did so many journalists openly grumble about the slow speed of the Internet at a July BOCOG press conference in Beijing but now nobody complains about He Kexin's age being censored on the Internet in August...

A Wall Street Journal reporter opened his laptop during a July press conference to show the Great Firewall blocking international news sites, but now I can't find any western reporters opening their laptops to show BOCOG and the IOC all of the evidence from Chinese news sites showing He Kexin's age to be 14.

One should not be surprised that the IOC is stubbornly resisting to investigate this matter, but what's the excuse for foreign journalists not stepping up to the press conference podium? Did they all pull a hamstring running away from this story?

It's hard to tell if Joel Martinson has any personal opinion about the Mirror's take on the gymnasts' ages. I think we all basically have to come to terms with the fact that we'll never know if the Chinese gymnasts are actually legitimate seniors. They could very well be!

But aside from whatever the actual truth may be, if the subtle mockery that Martinson is ascribing to the illustration is deliberate, remember that the Mirror's not just thumbing their nose at the "western media" - it's thumbing its nose at the FIG, the sporting body which governs the rules of international gymnastic competition (not that the FIG has been particularly keen to take any action about age doubts in the past).

More than that, though, it is mocking all Olympic gymnasts who wait until they qualify as seniors under FIG rules before competing in the Olympics, World Champs or World Cup. I'm not going to debate whether the age limits are or are not correct - and we should remember that many non-Chinese (Russian, American, Romanian, for example) figures in the gymnastics community argue that the limits for the top three competitions should be removed or lowered. It's also important to note that age restrictions do not apply in other non-top three comps, and juniors and seniors can compete alongside each other. The age limits themselves have changed over the years, so there is arguably no objective age at which gymnasts should be excluded from top-flight international competition.

However, in the Olympics the fact is that the restrictions are in place, they are set at a certain age bracket and most gymnasts comply with them, regardless of whether or not they think the restrictions are fair, relevant, or useful.

So the questions about age limits, while complex, are not only the preserve of a supposedly bumptious or hysterical "western media" - they are legitimate concerns to do with maintaining a consensus among all competitors that whatever the rules of competition are, they should be respected.

Anyone ever think that maybe we should just open the playing field to all ages and chemical concoctions?

Seriously, it is no longer about sport people. It is ad revenue, and we gobble up who can hit the hardest, the farthest, and can get the most airtime.

It isn't about the best of sport anymore than Christmas is about celebrating a religious holiday.

Nobody complained about this because press conferences have been cancelled since August 17, 2008. There were just too many difficult questions.

link

"National interests" explains just about everything, from 7-9-year old above

Something else interesting: "Phelps Cavic Frame by frame" on YouTube is "no longer available"...?

According to the last paragraph of the Sydney newspaper link posted by David B, press conferences were being rescheduled as of Monday, August 18.

Here is a similar report from a Washington Times editorial, which says the IOC is "little more than an arm of Beijing's propaganda machine at this point."

Washington_Times

I'm sure age questions about He Kexin were more of a concern for the IOC instead of the bronze medal discarding Armenian wrestler who represented Sweden.

A press conference featuring the IOC's Giselle Davies was held on Wednesday August 20 but instead of He Kexin questions reporters zeroed in on the protest parks and two elderly women who were sent to re-education camps. Davies said "The Olympics are about sport. We are aware of the wider issues but opening the door through the Olympics is a catalyst for development here. That catalytic effect is happening. But the Olympics are not a panacea for all ills."

Guardian

That's the precise moment that a journalist should have nailed her with a question beginning with "The Olympics are indeed about sport and there's a 14 year old gymnast on China's team named He Kexin who we would like you to investigate with evidence right here on my laptop for your catalytic convenience!"

Spelunker, if you look at the transcripts of the BOCOG/IOC press conferences, you'll see that on the 15th, at least one reporter (AP) asked a question about contradictory evidence of the age of some Chinese gymnasts. Of course the answer was quite vague, and although the reporter didn't appear to cite your specific examples, I think you're being over-cynical about reporters "running away from the story". Have a glance at the transcripts (but good luck, because whoever is actually transcribing them is doing a bloody awful job and the grammar of even native english-speakers is frequently mangled in the written record). Certainly does look like there's a case to answer with the ages of He Kexin et al, though...

David B, press conferences have not actually been cancelled but are apparently now being held every other day instead of daily (latest was on the 20th. But I do agree that suddenly making the daily press conferences came a bit too abruptly after that fiery confrontation between Giselle Davies and a Channel 4 reporter.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
This just in: IOC launches investigation into underage Chinese gymnasts! 加油！

TIMESONLINE

NYDAILYNEWS

To all journalists in Beijing: Please keep pressing this issue at the next press conference and do not ask about anything else!

After a week of posting incriminating evidence on blogs and e-mailing journalists, Spelunker now thumbs his nose at the Mirror with this remix from Ringo Starr's song:

"You're Sixteen?"

You do flips and you twirl, ooh, what a girl!
Eyes that sparkle and shine.
You're fourteen, you're beautiful and
you're mine.
(mine, all mine, mine, mine!)

You're my baby, my Chinese doll,
You beat USA without a single fall
You won the gold, my heart went cold,
Ooh, when we lost, I gave Rogge a call.

Your Olympic dreams, are now on hold
Soon the IOC will divine...
You're fourteen, you're beautiful,
pay the fine.
(fine, big fine, fine fine!)

You're my baby, my Chinese doll
your paper trail's as long as China's Great Wall
For goodness sake, your passport's fake,
Ooh, what a mess, you're about to make!

The truth has come clean... Miss He Kexin;
Your name can no longer be used online.
You're fourteen, you're beautiful, and you're mine!

Nicely done, Spelunker.

Hey, looks like the boy's class is wearing the red scarfs too. I guess none of them are politically motivated enough to go on to the youth league or the ccp and stayed life time members of the pioneer.

如果真是那么小,我并不奇怪.

Underage gymnasts? Maybe not... link

Underage gymnasts? Maybe so, if the video in that link was indeed filmed in 2003! Nice to see Nai Ruoyu stating her age on camera as being 10 years old and then later saying that she's training for the 2008 Olympics.
Get your abacus ready, comrades!
2003+5 = 2008
十加五等于十五

According to IOC rules, 15 year olds are underage for the 2008 Olympics. I hope this incriminating video evidence lends support to the current IOC investigation. 多谢合作！