Report: Star Chinese gymnasts under 16

NEW YORK, July 27 (UPI) -- Records indicate two star gymnasts on the Chinese women's team are too young to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Even though Chinese officials point to the passports of uneven parallel bars gold-medal favorite He Kexin and fellow Olympian Jiang Yuyuan as proof that they are 16, the newspaper says it has found online records from previous Chinese competitions indicating they are younger and ineligible for the Olympics.

The ages of He and Jiang have become the subject of intense debate in the gymnastics community because China and the United States are expected to wage a fierce battle for the team gold medal.

The Times said although Chinese authorities have blocked access to some online records, it was able to find local newspaper profiles and other documents from this year indicating He is only 14 years old. The Times also said it found a list of junior competitors from the Zhejiang Province sports administration indicating Jiang was not yet 15.