China: Document caused age mix-up

A Chinese Olympic gymnastics champion, whose age is under investigation, had her date of birth incorrectly registered at a tournament last year, which led to inaccurate reports of her age, Chinese officials said today.

The International Olympic Committee had asked the international gymnastics ruling body to probe the age of He Kexin following the emergence of reports from last year that indicated she was younger than the 16-year-old Olympic minimum.

"When He was transferred to another team to attend last year's National City Games, her age was registered wrongly," said Cui Dalin, China's deputy chef de mission, at a news conference today in Beijing. "The registration error caused all the misunderstanding thereafter. All Chinese gymnasts meet age requirements for the Olympics."

China has submitted legal documents, including passports and identification cards, to the federation, he said.

The documents looked "OK at the first sight," IOC president Jacques Rogge said at a separate news conference.

Becky Hammon never intended to make a political statement. She simply wanted to play basketball in the Olympics.

And despite criticism she absorbed by deciding to play for Russia, Hammon said yesterday that the joy of helping her new team unite to win the bronze medal outweighed all the negatives.

"For me, I've worked just as hard for this medal as a gold one, so to me it might as well be," Hammon said after scoring a team-high 22 points while leading Russia to a 94-81 victory over China at Wukesong Arena in Beijing.

Hammon wasn't a factor in Russia's semifinal loss to the United States, scoring just 3 points.

Teammate Ilona Korstin said, "I am very glad she's on the team. Now she's a real part of our Russian team and she helps us a lot during the game. I hope she will continue to play for the Russian national team."

Hammon left that open, saying only that she planned to return to Texas and finish the WNBA season with San Antonio.

"I never doubted my decision to go. I knew I was here for the right reasons," she said. "Russia and the United States, everyone knows the history there, but we've got to move forward and get past that. You can only hold a grudge for so long. The last time I checked we all bleed red here, so we're all just people, and whether you grow up in the States or in Russia, we all have the same needs for success.

"So to me it's been about uniting people and making friendships on a small level. And if I can impact these girls in a positive way, who's to say they can't go back and influence a nation?"

Official timekeeper Omega released a digital photo sequence of last week's riveting 100-meter butterfly finish between Michael Phelps and Milorad Cavic - and it's still not clear to the naked eye just who won.

However, according to Omega timer Silvio Chianese, the result is definitive.

"In the third set of images, with Phelps on the left, it is clear he is really pushing hard, while Cavic, on the right, is just arriving," Chianese said.

The photos were taken by Omega cameras placed directly above the finish line, angled to include two lanes in each photo. Chianese said the touchpad is the primary source to determine the winner, while the photos can only be used as backup material.

Ukrainian weightlifter Igor Razoronov was kicked out of the Olympics, the sixth athlete caught for doping during the Games. Razoronov, 38, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone after finishing sixth in the 105-kilogram (231.5 pounds) division, the IOC said.

The IOC asked the international weightlifting federation to adjust the competition results and consider any further sanctions. Razoronov faces a two-year ban from the sport. Another Ukrainian, Lyudmila Blonska, was stripped of her heptathlon silver medal Friday after testing positive for the steroid methyltestosterone.

The IOC said Razoronov's doping sample was more than four times over the permitted threshold for nandrolone.

Razoronov is the only weightlifter who has tested positive in Beijing. Eleven Greek weightlifters and 12 Bulgarian lifters failed drug tests ahead of the Beijing Games.

The IOC has carried out more than 4,600 doping tests so far, with the figure expected to surpass 5,000 by the close of the Games.

With Blonska's removal, Hyleas Fountain of Dayton, Ohio, swapped her bronze in heptathlon for a silver - and she got her own ceremony at the athletes' village.

"I think it's great to get the silver, and I won it in a fair way," Fountain said. "But it's not my place to judge her."

Pat Hickey, the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, said equestrian sports did not seem to follow rigorous antidoping procedures and vowed there would be repercussions. "I am sick and tired of our name being dragged through the mud like this," Hickey said. "Yesterday, my IOC colleagues were continually making reference to what they called 'another scandal for Ireland.' " Denis Lynch of Ireland was one of four show jumpers suspended after their horses tested positive for capsaicin, a derivative of chili peppers, banned for its hypersensitizing and pain-relieving properties. The other riders were from Norway, Brazil, and Germany . . . The Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed Denmark to keep its gold medal from 49er skiff sailing by dismissing a protest from Spain and Italy over the Danes completing the final in a boat borrowed from the Croatian team.