March 8, 2024 • 41 mins
After the US Women’s gymnastics team failed to medal in the 2000 Olympics in Australia, recriminations, blame and rebuilding followed. In the background, though, an investigation into the Chinese women’s team was brewing. US Coach Bela Karolyi and many others suspected the Chinese were fielding gymnasts who did meet the minimum age requirements, also known as cheating. The twists and turns that eventually lead to a full blown cheating scandal are truly worthy of the best flips any gymnast has ever thrown. Join ESPN sportscaster and journalist Jay Harris as he reveals the scandal that rocked women’s gymnastics and changed the sport forever.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello, and welcome back to Playing Dirty Sports Scandals.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm your host, Jay Harris.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I've had over twenty years of experience as a journalist
and sportscaster, hosting a variety of ESPN shows from SportsCenter
to Outside the Lines. Fun fact, I'm also a pie season.
But I guarantee that I'm not one of the big
fish getting tangled up in the net of scandal on
this show.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Oh no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm just taking you on a deep dive way beneath
the waves of decorum, down in the dark abyss of
human scheming, to uncover what happened to the athletes at
the center of the scandals that shocked and sometimes forever
changed the world of sports. My go to disclaimer for
(01:01):
playing dirty people who play sports are still human.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Remember this, people.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Sure, it's natural to look up to legends like Tony
Hawk and Mia Ham, but at the end of the day,
our sports idols are just like the rest of us
in the ways to count the most.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We all put our pants on one leg at a time.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
We all have our good days and our bad days,
and we are all fallible. When giants fall. Say it
with me, it reverberates. There really is nothing quite like
the juiciness of a scandal, Am I right? Scandals really
shake things up, injecting our lives with zest and enabling
(01:41):
us to derive vicarious pleasure and the rule breaking of others.
We know it's wrong to crave that addictive scandal juice,
of course we do, but we just can't help ourselves.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's like rubbernecking. We know that we shouldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
We try not to do it, but statistically most of
us do go down to look when there's.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
A gruesome car accident.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
It is horrible, but the fact that rubbernecking is estimated
to be responsible for fifteen percent of all car accidents
each year means that humans, for the most part, are
morbidly curious, and there's nothing quite like a mind blowing
down and dirty sports scandal to satisfy our inherent morbid curiosity.
We are a thirsty species, and I'm your juicing expert
(02:26):
here to quench your voracious human thirst to be in
the know. Yes, it's scandal time, so drake up and
let's tumble back into the action. At the end of
our last episode, the United States women's gymnastics team flew
home from the Sydney Olympics with a shocking defeat and
(02:50):
lots of questions about the fairness of the games. After
the glory of the Magnificent Seven's gold in nineteen ninety six,
not a single US women's gymnast medaled in Sydney. The
New York Times headlines read Sydney two thousand gymnastics out
of sync and Sydney two thousand gymnastics No easy explanations
(03:12):
and no medals either. As the Americans slip ouch. The
US team had finished in fourth place after China beat
them for the bronze medal by just one point. You
know the saying not all that glitters is gold, right, Well,
not all that beams is bronze. What happened in Sydney
(03:33):
began to unravel years after the final routine was over,
and the fallout, whatever profound impact on the young women
of the US and Chinese teams, a deep review into
gymnastics had begun. Owing that bronze medal the Chinese team
had clinched, well, its journey around the world had just
begun too. Let's check back in with the teams involved
(03:54):
at Sydney. For US gymnastics, the two thousand Sydney Olympics,
smart turning point, America's team, once a symbol of triumph
and resilience, faced the period of recriminations, reflections, and rebuilding
after Sydney. Gymnastics legends like Dominic Dawes and Amy Chow,
pivotal members of the gold Magnificent seventeen in nineteen ninety
(04:16):
six in Atlanta, grappled with the bitter taste of disappointment
after coming so close to the podium again in Sydney.
Sports psychologists claim that many athletes believe a fourth place
finish just out of metal contention is worse than finishing
much farther back in the pack. Though it might seem
illogical to view a fourth place rank as worse than
(04:38):
a seventh or fifteenth, it's the fact that these high
performance competitors fell just shy of their ultimate goals that
researchers say can make it hurt the most. That pain
of falling short at the Sydney Olympic Games on a
stage where everyone thought they would triumph likely contributed to
both Dominic DAWs and Amy Chow's decisions to retire. DAWs
(05:01):
and Chow's departures from competitive gymnastics were especially significant. Dawes
was the first African American gymnast to win an individual
Olympic medal with her bronze on floor in nineteen ninety six.
She later said, I compare it to Tiger playing golf
for the Williams sisters in tennis. Being there on that
stage and having young girls see a diverse team is
(05:22):
what allows that sport to be seen as an opportunity
for them because they see Tiger or Venus or me
or someone who looks like them finding success. Similarly, Chow
was the first female Asian American gymnast medalist. When these
trailblazers retired, their accomplishments resonated in the world of US
(05:42):
gymnastics for decades, ushering in an era of minority participation
never before seen. So even though the two thousand women's
gymnastics team had been momentarily crushed, these were women who
knew how to bounce back, both literally and figuratively. Amy
Choo graduated from Stanford Medical School in two thousand and
(06:03):
seven and is a practicing pediatrician in California Dominic. Dawes
served as president of the Women's Sports Foundation from two
thousand and four to two thousand and six, where she
was the youngest president in the foundation's history, before becoming
a very successful advisor and motivational speaker. While the American
team faltered in Sydney, they ultimately stuck their personal landings
(06:26):
in a big way despite winning the bronze medal in
the moment. The Chinese athletes weren't so fortunate following the
Sydney Olympic Games. For Dong Feng Chiao, the Chinese gymnast
who was registered as sixteen years old, would have turned
out to be only fourteen years old at the Sydney Olympics. Well,
the fallout was absolutely brutal for her in China. While
(06:50):
Chinese Olympic athletes have the benefit of financial support from
their government, the flip side is that once the Olympics
are over, and especially if they're a scandal involved, that
government money is gone. After the Sydney Games and over
the ten years of media scrutiny that followed, Dong had
to bear the brunt of the age falsification allegations herself.
(07:13):
The Chinese government naturally wanted to distance themselves from the
gymnastics scandal, and so the state run Chinese media proclaimed
that Dong was solely responsible for any wrongdoing. They alleged
that what had happened in Sydney was a conspiracy on
the part of Dong and her family. Things went from
bad to worse for Dong fang Xiao when injury struck.
(07:35):
China Daily reported Dong fang Xiao was diagnosed with femoral
head necrosis in two thousand and one. Femoral head necrosis
is the death of bone tissue due to a lack
of blood supply. This can lead to tiny breaks in
the bone and cause the bone to collapse. The debilitating
process usually occurs over a period of months to years,
(07:57):
and anyone can be effected. However, the condition is most
common in people between the ages of thirty and fifty.
The fact that Dong was grappling with femeral head necrosis
in her teens demonstrates how much damage young competitive gymnast
can sustain, accelerating the onset of serious health conditions. China
(08:17):
Daily continued reporting that since then, Dong has been struggling
to make ends meet because her family has fallen into poverty.
Her situation worsened after the recent expose of the fake
age scandal. Athletics is a career with high attrition and
injury rate. In China, the living condition of athletes, especially
those who have retired, is far from satisfactory. Dong is
(08:41):
only one example of that. Remember how I told you
that Don feng Xiao lives with her husband in New Zealand,
teaching gymnastics on the down low, more than six thousand
miles away from the homeland she once represented.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Now you know why.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
With the Sydney rumors swirling, the lives of young athletes
from two countries uphended, and government's battling, you'd think that
gymnastics would have immediately cleaned up its act after two thousand,
especially because there was extra pressure for the two thousand
and four Olympics coming up. After all, the next games
were set to be held in the very cradle of
(09:18):
Olympic glory, Athens, Greece. The Athens Olympics was a redemption
opportunity for both countries. This much was clear. The US
team needed to prove that they were once again of
meddling caliber, and the Chinese team needed to prove that
they could win without a sniff of impropriety. The stakes
(09:38):
were high, and the lead up to two thousand and
four in the United States. The retirement of several gymnastics
legends after the Sydney Games felt like a punch to
the gut from many sports fans and signaled the end
of an era, But it also provided an opportunity for
a new generation of young American women to step up
to the Olympic level. The fresh faces was a young
(10:01):
and determined Carly Patterson. Patterson was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
in nineteen eighty eight. Growing up, Carly wanted to be
just like Nadiya Komenici and Shannon Miller, her two gymnastics heroes.
She got hooked on gymnastics after a birthday party at
a gym when she was only six years old. Her
goal was to win the all around Olympic gold medal,
(10:23):
and she worked every day to become the best so
she could achieve it. At the World Championships in two
thousand and three, Carly won a silver medal on beam
and had her signature dismount, known as an Arabian double front,
officially named the Patterson after her. This incredibly difficult maneuver
is when the gymnast starts out as though she's doing
(10:44):
a backflip but immediately does a half twist. The women
of the US team, in part because of Carly's strong performances,
won a first ever World Championship gold team medal. In
the three years since the Sydney embarrassment, it look like
US Gymnastics was successfully developing a strong roster of excellent,
(11:05):
focused young athletes who could contend for the gold in
Athens in two thousand and four. The only thing I
really really want Carly Patterson said, is for the US
to win again, Just to win another team gold. Despite
a commitment to review gymnastics training practices, fair play, and
the culture of the sport from the inside out. Just
(11:27):
one year after the Sydney Olympic Games in two thousand,
Marta Coroli was named national coordinator of the US women's
gymnastics team. You remember Marta, right, the wife and longtime
coaching partner of Bellacaroli. CNN's expose of the Coroli ranch
reported that the Coroles would strike minor child gymnasts, scratch
(11:48):
minor child gymnasts until they bled, encourage parents of the
minor child gymnasts to hit their children, and require gymnasts
to train while.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
They were ill.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
The fe L gymnasts competing for spots on the two
thousand and four Athens Olympics team would head to the
Coroli Ranch, a sprawling two thousand acre compound set in
the Sam Houston National Forest in Texas, to practice and
battle it out under the watchful eye of Martin Coroli.
Was she a more patient, less abusive coach than Bella
(12:21):
by all accounts, yes, but was moving the team's leadership
from one allegedly abusive team coordinator to another more passive
partner within that same system. The improvement gymnast deserved after Sydney,
probably not in the case of an emergency. The closest
(12:41):
hospital was so far away you need to be helicoptered
there from the Coroli Ranch, wrote reporter Holly Anne. To
get to the ranch, you must drive up a dirt
road for what seems like an eternity. On top of that,
there is no cell service. It's completely isolated, and that's
no mistake. That's how the Corolis wanted it. Even more worrying,
(13:03):
no parents were allowed at Coroli Ranch. According to NBC
reporter Liz Clark, the gymnasts bunked in cabins six to.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Eight to a room.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
The aspiring olympians practices were as carefully scripted as their diets.
They gave us choices, but Marta sees what you eat,
and if she doesn't like what you're eating or the
way you look, she'll tell you, said Courtney McCool, who
ultimately did make Martha's cut and go on to represent
the US at the Athens Olympics. Marta sees you every month,
(13:33):
so if she thinks you've gained weight or you've looked better,
she'll tell you.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
So.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
USA Gymnastics did make a shift in their approach to
training athletes after Sydney, inasmuch as Bela Coroli was replaced
by his wife Marta as the national team coordinator, but
the women continued to train in the allegedly unsafe environment
of Coroli Ranch, and their human welfare seemingly remained subordinate
to national interests. In the words of US say Gymnastics
(14:00):
president Bob Colarossi, MARTA's emphasis on technique and drive towards
excellence is to push our program needs to be medal contenders.
Everyone was once again myopically focused on putting a team
in place that would meddle. Marta Coroli announced the team
for the historic two thousand and four Athens Olympic Games.
(14:23):
After the trials and training camp, the USA team was
Carly Patterson, Courtney Coupets, Courtney McCool, Mohemy Bardoisee, Ania Hatch,
and Tarn Humphrey, with three other women, Chelsea Memmo, Tasha
Schweikert and Alish Ashino named as alternates. Could these young
(14:44):
women succeed where the Sydney team failed, would the rising
Chinese team once again show themselves more deserving of a
place on the metal stand. Meanwhile, in China, whispers about
whether their team had deserved a place on the metal
stand in two thousand were swirling, undermining the national triumph.
Chinese officials were not happy about having to defend the
(15:06):
Olympic win. In the media and communist countries, controlling the
media narrative is of paramount importance to maintaining leadership. The
traditional media in China, said businesswoman and TV journalist Yang Lan,
is still heavily controlled by the government, but in my
personal view, certain censorship is important since nations have different
(15:28):
social and cultural backgrounds. In two thousand and one, on
the heels of the Chinese women's gymnastics team winning bronze.
Clamping down on the rumors of cheating and emphasizing the
metal where the government's prerogative. But just because you control
the media doesn't mean you control common sense. It wasn't
just the international community commenting that the Chinese gymnasts in
(15:50):
Sydney looked far younger than the required sixteen years old anymore,
And it wasn't just the international community noting the unfairness
if under aged gymnasts had competed on behalf of China.
Women's gymnastics is a sport where being lighter and less
developed can be a huge advantage. Throwing your body into
the air and spinning and twisting is much easier the
(16:13):
lighter you are. Some also say that being younger means
being more ignorant of the pressures and stress of Olympic competition.
After all, the more mature you are, the more you
understand how the sports world really works and how high
the metal stakes really are. Citizens in China recognized all
of this. They were putting the pieces together, and they
(16:35):
weren't happy to think their country's win had come unfairly.
These rumors of age falsification now both a national and
international problem for China grew each year after Sydney to
talk about possible passport doping could not be quashed by
China's medium machine. Passport doping meant that athlete's accreditation paperwork
(16:57):
was not reflecting their biological variables, indicating that their official
documents were in fact inauthentic. The concerns and rumors grew
loud enough that they reached the organization that oversees the
entire sport, the International Gymnastics Federation, or FIG, and they
decided to take action. As FIG launched an investigation into
(17:18):
the age of athletes on the Chinese team, the gymnastics
world watched and wondered if the long suspected passport doping
in Sydney could be proven, and if so, what might
the penalty or punishment be. While FIG got to work
investigating passport doping continued in gymnastics. The flip side of media,
(17:39):
after all, is that it gives unsavory players ideas. If
you know what I mean, just look at Canadian murderer
Mark Twitchell, who, once inspired by the TV show Dexter,
went on to kill in real life. There are so
many voices in media nowadays. All it takes is for
the wrong voice to resonate with the wrong player, and bam,
(18:00):
you've got a recipe for scandal. If Shina could cheat
and walk away with the bronze Olympic medal, why couldn't
other countries with an eye towards national achievement bend the rules.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
In their own favor. Hmm.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
North Korea decided that it darn well could. The difference
this time, however, was that FIG was ready for age
falsification transgressions. The Gymnastics Watchdog slapped the sanction of North Korea,
which lasted through twenty twelve, after finding out that Hong
su Jong, a star artistic gymnast, competed at the two
thousand and four Athens Olympics under age. North Korea wasn't
(18:38):
even allowed to compete in the London Olympics gymnastics competitions
because of the scandal. No leniency was shown by FIG
to North Korea. In a stunning show a regulatory force,
it seemed that while training practices hadn't shifted as greatly
as one might have hoped in the aftermath of the
Sydney Olympic Games, that at least FIG was taking its
(18:59):
response onsibility to uphold fair sportsmanship very seriously. Figg's determination
to return integrity to the sport appeared to buoy the
US women's gymnastics team, who were focused on redefining their
Olympic narrative after Sydney. Under the leadership of Carly Patterson
and with Mohemi Bardoise, one of the greatest gymnasts of
(19:20):
Indian origin ever, as their captain, the team was determined
to showcase the level of skill, unity, and unwavering spirit
that captured the essence of gymnastics at its finest. Carly
Patterson was a veritable beacon of determination as she and
her team took to the gym August seventeenth, two thousand
(19:41):
and four, for team finals at the Athens Olympics. Would
they deliver a team gold as the Magnificent Seven had
done back in nineteen ninety six. Would they falter as
the US team had done in two thousand. When asked,
Carly said, I think we're all really strong and we
just need to keep working really hard. If we go
out there and do our best, we'll win again. All
(20:03):
we need to do is hit and hit they did.
In a major reversal from Sydney. The Chinese team finished
a distant seventh, while the US women won a silver medal,
losing by less than one point to gold medal winning Romania,
a perennial powerhouse. Russia finished in third, and there was
barely one point separating all three medaling teams. Redemption was
(20:28):
finally theirs, and the US women headed into individual competition
at the Athens Games with confidence and poise. Despite her
enormous talent, Carly Patterson was actually not the favorite going
into the individual all around competition at Athens.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
That distinction belonged.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
To Russia's Svetlana Krkina, a veteran gymnast who was determined
to claim her gold in Athens. The thing about Svetlana
was that she didn't make it easy to root for
a major star in Russia. Svetlana had a way of
turn turning off international spectators with her uber nationalistic sore
grapes commentary. To be always first is completely normal for me,
(21:09):
as it is from my great country, which certain silly
people don't agree with.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Svetlana said.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Her attitude lacked the sporting optimism that gymnastics sorely needed
in two thousand and four. So while most sportscasters begrudgingly
had Setlana Peg to win. They certainly weren't disappointed when
Carly Patterson, the cheerful can do Kansas City athlete representing
the US won the day. Carly scored over nine point
(21:36):
seven on two events, beam and floor, a score matched
only by Svetlana corcanut on bars. Her history making performance
on the balance beam, especially, which was capped off by
an incredible signature dismount, secured her the gold all around,
breaking a twenty year drought for the US women after
Mary lou Rettin's win in nineteen eighty four. Carly Patterson's
(21:59):
individual jewel all around gold medal symbolized personal triumph, but
also served as a testament to the collective strength of
the entire US gymnastics team. The journey to and triumph
at the two thousand and four Athens Olympics proved to
be a test of resilience for the US women's gymnastics team,
(22:20):
as the athletes navigated new training regimes under Marta Coroli
and shook free from the shadow of Sydney. However, the
true challenge lay ahead as the sport itself underwent a
paradigm shift with the evolving code of Points that measured artistry, acrobatics,
and grace in gymnastics, all considered essential in a well
(22:41):
rounded and gold metal deserving routine. Meanwhile, figg's age verification
investigation was ramping up and questions about China's team were growing.
The tension was building on all fronts within the gymnastics community,
and the Sydney scandal's resolution couldn't be put off much longer.
(23:04):
As gymnastics grappled with a new code of Points, the
landscape shifted again at the two thousand and seven Beijing
Gymnastics World Championships. Here, concerns about the ages of Chinese
gymnasts reached new heights, even as Chinese officials and coaches
pushed back on the escalating allegations. Asians have different figures
(23:25):
than people from the West, so that's what's caused their suspicion,
said Huang Yu, been, head coach of China's men's and
women's gymnastics teams, referring to media inquiries, they shouldn't be suspicious.
Despite Chinese protestations of innocence, fig found itself under heightened
scrutiny and pressure from the international Olympic Committee often referred
(23:47):
to as the IOC, to investigate the passport doping concerns
after the two thousand and seven Beijing Gymnastics World Championships,
setting the stage for a comprehensive inquiry into age eligibility
and athlete well being. Figg's actions during this period played
a crucial role in shaping the narrative leading up to
the two thousand and eight Beijing Olympics. As the world
(24:10):
turned its attention to China as the host nation, the
gymnastics community faced a reckoning, with questions about fair play,
adherence to rules, and the overall integrity of the sport
taking center stage. The IOC delved into the intricate details
of athlete birth certificates, passports, and official records, directly desperately
(24:32):
wanting to restore a reputation for integrity to the sport.
The two thousand and eight Beijing Olympics marked a pivotal
moment in the history of women's gymnastics. As the world
turned its gaze to the iconic Bird's Nest stadium, The
gymnastics arena transformed into a stage for breathtaking performances and
(24:52):
nail biting competitions. The stadium at the Beijing Games was
nicknamed the Bird's Nest because of its nest like skeleton structure.
The opening ceremony encompassed two parts titled Brilliant Civilization and
Glorious Era, respectively. The first performance showcased the Chinese civilization,
and the second act presented modern China and its dream
(25:15):
of harmony between everyone in the world. Pretty ironic under
the cloud of a cheating scandal, don't you think. According
to organizers, the stadium was at full capacity with ninety
one thousand people in attendance at the opening of the
Beijing Olympic Games. But even with all of this extravagance,
this visual feast for viewers worldwide, the spotlight was on
(25:36):
the formidable US women's gymnastics team, which came into Beijing
as reigning Olympic teams silver medallists. Led by the indomitable
Sean Johnson and Nastia Lucan, the US team dazzled the
world with their precision, grace, nerves of steel, and wild
acrobatic feats, But it was the Chinese team that came
(25:58):
roaring back from their feet in two thousand and four,
perhaps spurred by home team advantage, hosting the two thousand
and eight Summer Olympics was a symbol of China's rejuvenation,
rights historian xiong Wang. Through the extravagant opening ceremony, the
Chinese government showcased China's historical glory and new achievements, unassailable
evidence that China had finally made it.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
China won the team.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Gold, edging up the strong US team, who captured the
silver by two points. The competition between the gymnastics powerhouses
of USA and China intensified as both nations vied for
supremacy in the coveted all around individual title. Sean Johnson's
dynamic floor routines and Nastie Lukan's elegant performances on the
(26:43):
uneven bars solidified their status as gymnastic icons. In a
spectacular turn of events, Nasti A Lukan clinched the coveted
gold in the all around, while Sean Johnson secured the silver.
Yilin Jong of China took the bronze. Americans had never
before finished first and second in gymnastics all around competition,
(27:06):
and despite not topping the podium in the individual medals,
China had secured a bronze on top of their team
gold he had. Amidst the celebrations from both teams. At
the two thousand and eight Beijing Olympic Games, questions arose
about the eligibility of some Chinese gymnasts, once again stirring
debate about age manipulation and fairness in the sport. Journalists
(27:29):
took notes specifically of the Chinese team, which was officially
comprised of gymnasts who supposedly met the age necessary to compete,
but news reports after the Beijing Games made mention of
the extremely small size of some of the Chinese team
and implied their size meant they could not possibly have
been sixteen years old sometime in two thousand and eight.
(27:51):
For example, Leen Lindanng was just four foot six inches
and weighed only sixty eight pounds. Yu Yanjong was barely
bigger at four foot seven inches and only seventy pounds.
The average height and weight for the Chinese team was
four foot nine inches and seventy seven pounds. In comparison,
(28:12):
sixteen year old US gymnast Sean Johnson was a veritable
linebacker at four foot nine and ninety pounds. They're using
half people. Marta Corolei told the Associated Press, one of
the biggest frustrations is what arrogance these people think that
we're stupid.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
We're in the.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Business of gymnastics, and we know what a kid of
fourteen or fifteen or sixteen looks like. You don't have
to be a gymnastics coach to know what they look
like at sixteen. During the competition itself, Coroli was overheard
to exclaim, what kind of slap in the face is this?
They are twelve fourteen years old, Max, and they line
(28:49):
them up for the world and are having the government
backed them. Investigation by US media into the claims of
China cheating at the Olympics again was fierce. Sportswriter E. M.
Swift specifically criticized the International Olympic Committee the IOC for
spending millions of dollars trying to ferret out drug cheats
(29:10):
while ignoring allegations of institutionalized cheating by the Chinese government
and with the finger heatedly pointed in its direction by
the press, the IOC finally acted by ordering the Federation
Internationality Gymnastique the FIG to investigate if, in fact, Leen Lean,
Dang or any other gymnasts on China's twenty eighteen had
(29:33):
only been fourteen years old at the time of the
Beijing Olympic Games. Andre Geisbueller, Secretary General of the PIG, said,
I would hope that the whole world in sport realizes
that the FIG is serious about these rules and the
ethics and moral questions. And yet FIG, the organization that
it kicked off an in depth review of practices in
(29:55):
gymnastics and which had punished North Korea with a severe
band for passport doping in Athens in two thousand and four,
now shocked the world just four years later by ignoring
the facts which journalists had independently uncovered. Suddenly FIG seemed
not to be the integral body with an ethical iron fist.
China produced a passport with the required dates for each
(30:18):
member of their twenty eight team, and FIG didn't investigate further. Instead,
they turned a blind eye to overwhelming proof of unfair play.
All passports are valid for all gymnasts competing in the
Beijing Olympic Games, FIG said in a nondescript statement. The
(30:38):
New York Times countered FIG's ruling with the headline athletes
only as old as China says they are oh Snap.
Marta Coroli was also crystal clear about what she thought
of the controversy. We are ready to take on any team,
She deadpanned overage or under age. The International Gymnastics Federation's
(30:58):
investigations and subsequent clearance of the Chinese gymnast fueled discussions
about the ethics of competition. Once again, the sport felt
marred by bad behavior. As the curtain fell on the
gymnastics events in Beijing. The two thousand and eight Olympics
left an indelible mark, a complex tapestry of triumph, controversy,
(31:19):
and the enduring pursuit of athletic excellence that defines the
world of women's gymnastics. Just because fig called curtains on
investigating the two thousand and eight Beijing Games didn't mean
that the curtains fell, however, Power to the people right.
A flurry of challenges emerged almost immediately. Bloggers stride Hacks
(31:40):
claimed to have uncovered proof suggesting that Hua Ku Shin,
of the Chinese gymnastics team in Beijing was only fourteen,
too young to have competed in the Olympics. Internet searches
and alleged web pages compiled by China's General Administration of
Sport seemed to support what stride Hacks had found. Age
falsification claims intensified, leading some to dig even further back
(32:05):
again into the age of the Chinese gymnasts. At the
Sydney Olympics in two thousand, the year they edged out
the US for the team bronze medal, this is the
moment when the national tide turned. An overwhelming evidence came
forward that Sydney team members Dong Fang Xiao in likely
Young Young as well, had been too young to have
competed there under the rules at the time. The New
(32:29):
York Times conducted its own investigation, producing results that aligned
with the suspicions raised by stride Hacks and other bloggers,
further fuelling the controversy surrounding the Chinese gymnastics team. Chinese
officials vehemently defended their team, asserting that their athletes adhered
to Olympic age regulations in every Olympics Games. The eligibility
(32:51):
of the athletes has already been investigated and authorized by
the International Federation, and if they hadn't been cleared, they
wouldn't have anticipated in the games, Statedhogwai, Executive Vice president
of the Beijing Olympic Committee. However, skepticism persisted and grew,
compounding the questions that had always lingered since two thousand
(33:13):
about the authenticity of the athlete documentation provided by China.
Dong fang Xiao, whose name I've burned into your mind
as being at the epicenter of this scandal, drew scrutiny
in two thousand and eight when she registered as a
technical official, not a competitor, at the Beijing Olympics, and
in an unexpected twist, listed her age. Her simple slip
(33:36):
up brought the whole house of cards tumbling down. Dong
fang Xiao's birthdate in the FIG database was recorded as
January twentieth, nineteen eighty three. However, the accreditation information she
provided for the Beijing Olympics listed her birthday as January
twenty third, nineteen eighty six, implying she would have been
(33:59):
only four during the Sydney Games and thus ineligible to compete.
In an interview, a flustered, hounded Dong feng Jiao slipped
up again, openly stating that she was fourteen during the
two thousand Sydney Olympics. However, when pressed further, during the
FIG's investigation, Dong refused to provide clarity, leaving more questions
(34:22):
than answers. In yet a third puzzling twist, on Dong's
own personal blog, she indicated she was born in the
year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac, which spanned
from February twentieth, nineteen eighty five to February eighth, nineteen
eighty six. This significantly boasted the claim that she was
only fourteen. In two thousand, FIG expressed dissatisfaction with the
(34:48):
explanations and evidence provided for Dong's age at the two
thousand Sydney Games, signaling a potential crack and the credibility
of the Chinese team's eligibility. And then the una expected
happened suddenly, swiftly, after so many years of rumors. FIG
nullified Dong feng Xiao's Sydney results, citing insufficient evidence to
(35:10):
prove she was actually sixteen that year. Consequently, the results
obtained by Dong fang Jiao the two thousand Sydney Olympic
Games had been canceled. FIG said in a statement. The
FIG Executive Committee decision was forwarded to the IOC Executive
Board with the recommendation to withdraw the bronze medal obtained
(35:31):
by the Chinese team, including the results of Dong fang
Jiao in Sydney. The fallout was swift and severe. Dong
fang Zhao's nineteen ninety nine World Championships and two thousand
Olympic results, as well as her other results in world
competitions in nineteen ninety nine and two thousand, were expunged
(35:52):
from the records. The IOC officially disqualified China, who had
originally won the bronze medal in the women's team event.
The IOC ordered China's National Olympic Committee to return the
team medals as soon as possible so they could be
reallocated to the US team. While many Chinese citizens were
(36:12):
relieved to put the issue to rest at last in
the spirit of fairness, some Chinese sports fans reacted with
anger to the news that gymnast Dong fang Jiao had
been stripped of her Olympic medal, but their ire was
directed at the Chinese government, not the International Olympic Committee.
Cry for Dong fang Xiao, victim of the sports system,
(36:33):
read the headline on a post by Li Jiayong, sports
columnist on the popular netes Web portal. Competing for her
local team in the Chinese National Games, she damaged her
knee permanently in order to win an Olympic medal for
the national team. Her age was hidden in't dare to
use the word falsify, which may cause trouble, Lee wrote,
(36:54):
And she has been humiliated. It's enough to make you cry.
Lie jiayog isn't wrong. Dong fang Xiao got ensnared in
a scandal that was almost certainly not of her making
orchestrated by Chinese officials with metal ambitions. I hope she's
found some peace and happiness in New Zealand at last.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
As for the US.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Women's gymnastics team from two thousand, well, they were spread
out across America a decade after their.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
Humiliating Sydney defeat.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
When their mobile phones started pinging alerts, calls and emails
were coming in non stop congratulating them on the metal reversal.
They had won bronze after all. At least, Ray said,
I was in complete shock. We had gotten wind.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Of it a few months before that.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
There was an investigation, right, I put it out of
my head when I heard.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
The news, I couldn't believe it. I was so happy.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
I never in a million years thought I'd be getting
a medal. In August twenty ten, nearly ten years after
the competition in Sydney, the now third place team from
the United States was awarded the bronze medal and a
ceremony held at the Excel Center in Hartford, Connecticut during
the twenty ten US National Championships. Dominic Dawes expressed the
(38:11):
collective sentiment of the US team justice prevailed. My teammates
are very well deserving of the bronze medal, and I'm
sure each and every one of us will be thrilled.
We will cherish it. That bronze medal, now rightfully in
the possession of the US women gymnasts, became a symbol
(38:33):
of rectified justice and a testament to the enduring spirit
of fair play in sports. This juicy scandal exposed not
only the complexities of age verification in gymnastics, but also
prompted a reevaluation.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Of historical results.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
No one who fiddled with the rules to come out
on top, past, present, or future, is above justice because
cheating challenges the very essence of fair play and integrity
in Olympic competent TI. But has this age falsification scandal
and gymnastics been put to sleep for good?
Speaker 2 (39:07):
I think not.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Scandal and human nature seemed to go hand in hand
after all, as far as China goes. In two thousand
and nine, news outlets reported that the Chinese Sports Ministry
and Guangdong Province had used X ray bone analysis to
determine the real ages of athletes competing in a variety
of sports in China. The procedure was performed on fifteen
(39:30):
thousand young Chinese athletes and revealed that twenty percent have
lied about their ages. Three thousand were older than they
claimed to be. That means that one fifth were outside
the eligible age range for the various sports, one out
of every five athletes. These findings indicate that age falsification
(39:51):
is a pervasive issue in China's state run sports system.
In China's success in sports is tied to funding, which
seems to have led to the winning at all host
mentality shared by early dominant state run systems like the
Soviet Union and East Germany. But for the USA the
outlook is brighter now with the award of the bronze
(40:11):
medal back to the rightful winners. The curse of two
thousand in Sydney was broken, and the US women have
dominated gymnastics ever since, Beginning with Carly Patterson and her
electrifying performance in two thousand and four in Athens. The
US women have won the individual all around gold medal
in every Olympic Games. Nastie Lucan in two thousand and eight,
(40:33):
Gabby Douglas in twenty twelve, Simone Bios in twenty sixteen,
and Sonissa Lee in twenty twenty all won the gold
all around, and it looks as though Simone Biles isn't
finished as she prepares to compete with a whole generation
of fresh faces at the Olympic Games in Paris, France
in twenty twenty four. May all the teams there put
(40:53):
forth gymnasts who meet the rules required, and may everyone
from coaches and athletes to team coordinators and administrators exemplify
all that is good and noble about the sport. Join
me your host Jay Harris for next week's episode of
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals. Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a
(41:20):
production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions and Workhouse
Media from executive producers Dan Patrick Paul Anderson, Nick Panela,
Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris, Written
and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks, Maya Glickman, and
Jennifer Clare,
Hello, and welcome back to Playing Dirty Sports Scandals.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm your host, Jay Harris.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I've had over twenty years of experience as a journalist
and sportscaster, hosting a variety of ESPN shows from SportsCenter
to Outside the Lines. Fun fact, I'm also a pie season.
But I guarantee that I'm not one of the big
fish getting tangled up in the net of scandal on
this show.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Oh no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm just taking you on a deep dive way beneath
the waves of decorum, down in the dark abyss of
human scheming, to uncover what happened to the athletes at
the center of the scandals that shocked and sometimes forever
changed the world of sports. My go to disclaimer for
(01:01):
playing dirty people who play sports are still human.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Remember this, people.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Sure, it's natural to look up to legends like Tony
Hawk and Mia Ham, but at the end of the day,
our sports idols are just like the rest of us
in the ways to count the most.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We all put our pants on one leg at a time.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
We all have our good days and our bad days,
and we are all fallible. When giants fall. Say it
with me, it reverberates. There really is nothing quite like
the juiciness of a scandal, Am I right? Scandals really
shake things up, injecting our lives with zest and enabling
(01:41):
us to derive vicarious pleasure and the rule breaking of others.
We know it's wrong to crave that addictive scandal juice,
of course we do, but we just can't help ourselves.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's like rubbernecking. We know that we shouldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
We try not to do it, but statistically most of
us do go down to look when there's.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
A gruesome car accident.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
It is horrible, but the fact that rubbernecking is estimated
to be responsible for fifteen percent of all car accidents
each year means that humans, for the most part, are
morbidly curious, and there's nothing quite like a mind blowing
down and dirty sports scandal to satisfy our inherent morbid curiosity.
We are a thirsty species, and I'm your juicing expert
(02:26):
here to quench your voracious human thirst to be in
the know. Yes, it's scandal time, so drake up and
let's tumble back into the action. At the end of
our last episode, the United States women's gymnastics team flew
home from the Sydney Olympics with a shocking defeat and
(02:50):
lots of questions about the fairness of the games. After
the glory of the Magnificent Seven's gold in nineteen ninety six,
not a single US women's gymnast medaled in Sydney. The
New York Times headlines read Sydney two thousand gymnastics out
of sync and Sydney two thousand gymnastics No easy explanations
(03:12):
and no medals either. As the Americans slip ouch. The
US team had finished in fourth place after China beat
them for the bronze medal by just one point. You
know the saying not all that glitters is gold, right, Well,
not all that beams is bronze. What happened in Sydney
(03:33):
began to unravel years after the final routine was over,
and the fallout, whatever profound impact on the young women
of the US and Chinese teams, a deep review into
gymnastics had begun. Owing that bronze medal the Chinese team
had clinched, well, its journey around the world had just
begun too. Let's check back in with the teams involved
(03:54):
at Sydney. For US gymnastics, the two thousand Sydney Olympics,
smart turning point, America's team, once a symbol of triumph
and resilience, faced the period of recriminations, reflections, and rebuilding
after Sydney. Gymnastics legends like Dominic Dawes and Amy Chow,
pivotal members of the gold Magnificent seventeen in nineteen ninety
(04:16):
six in Atlanta, grappled with the bitter taste of disappointment
after coming so close to the podium again in Sydney.
Sports psychologists claim that many athletes believe a fourth place
finish just out of metal contention is worse than finishing
much farther back in the pack. Though it might seem
illogical to view a fourth place rank as worse than
(04:38):
a seventh or fifteenth, it's the fact that these high
performance competitors fell just shy of their ultimate goals that
researchers say can make it hurt the most. That pain
of falling short at the Sydney Olympic Games on a
stage where everyone thought they would triumph likely contributed to
both Dominic DAWs and Amy Chow's decisions to retire. DAWs
(05:01):
and Chow's departures from competitive gymnastics were especially significant. Dawes
was the first African American gymnast to win an individual
Olympic medal with her bronze on floor in nineteen ninety six.
She later said, I compare it to Tiger playing golf
for the Williams sisters in tennis. Being there on that
stage and having young girls see a diverse team is
(05:22):
what allows that sport to be seen as an opportunity
for them because they see Tiger or Venus or me
or someone who looks like them finding success. Similarly, Chow
was the first female Asian American gymnast medalist. When these
trailblazers retired, their accomplishments resonated in the world of US
(05:42):
gymnastics for decades, ushering in an era of minority participation
never before seen. So even though the two thousand women's
gymnastics team had been momentarily crushed, these were women who
knew how to bounce back, both literally and figuratively. Amy
Choo graduated from Stanford Medical School in two thousand and
(06:03):
seven and is a practicing pediatrician in California Dominic. Dawes
served as president of the Women's Sports Foundation from two
thousand and four to two thousand and six, where she
was the youngest president in the foundation's history, before becoming
a very successful advisor and motivational speaker. While the American
team faltered in Sydney, they ultimately stuck their personal landings
(06:26):
in a big way despite winning the bronze medal in
the moment. The Chinese athletes weren't so fortunate following the
Sydney Olympic Games. For Dong Feng Chiao, the Chinese gymnast
who was registered as sixteen years old, would have turned
out to be only fourteen years old at the Sydney Olympics. Well,
the fallout was absolutely brutal for her in China. While
(06:50):
Chinese Olympic athletes have the benefit of financial support from
their government, the flip side is that once the Olympics
are over, and especially if they're a scandal involved, that
government money is gone. After the Sydney Games and over
the ten years of media scrutiny that followed, Dong had
to bear the brunt of the age falsification allegations herself.
(07:13):
The Chinese government naturally wanted to distance themselves from the
gymnastics scandal, and so the state run Chinese media proclaimed
that Dong was solely responsible for any wrongdoing. They alleged
that what had happened in Sydney was a conspiracy on
the part of Dong and her family. Things went from
bad to worse for Dong fang Xiao when injury struck.
(07:35):
China Daily reported Dong fang Xiao was diagnosed with femoral
head necrosis in two thousand and one. Femoral head necrosis
is the death of bone tissue due to a lack
of blood supply. This can lead to tiny breaks in
the bone and cause the bone to collapse. The debilitating
process usually occurs over a period of months to years,
(07:57):
and anyone can be effected. However, the condition is most
common in people between the ages of thirty and fifty.
The fact that Dong was grappling with femeral head necrosis
in her teens demonstrates how much damage young competitive gymnast
can sustain, accelerating the onset of serious health conditions. China
(08:17):
Daily continued reporting that since then, Dong has been struggling
to make ends meet because her family has fallen into poverty.
Her situation worsened after the recent expose of the fake
age scandal. Athletics is a career with high attrition and
injury rate. In China, the living condition of athletes, especially
those who have retired, is far from satisfactory. Dong is
(08:41):
only one example of that. Remember how I told you
that Don feng Xiao lives with her husband in New Zealand,
teaching gymnastics on the down low, more than six thousand
miles away from the homeland she once represented.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Now you know why.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
With the Sydney rumors swirling, the lives of young athletes
from two countries uphended, and government's battling, you'd think that
gymnastics would have immediately cleaned up its act after two thousand,
especially because there was extra pressure for the two thousand
and four Olympics coming up. After all, the next games
were set to be held in the very cradle of
(09:18):
Olympic glory, Athens, Greece. The Athens Olympics was a redemption
opportunity for both countries. This much was clear. The US
team needed to prove that they were once again of
meddling caliber, and the Chinese team needed to prove that
they could win without a sniff of impropriety. The stakes
(09:38):
were high, and the lead up to two thousand and
four in the United States. The retirement of several gymnastics
legends after the Sydney Games felt like a punch to
the gut from many sports fans and signaled the end
of an era, But it also provided an opportunity for
a new generation of young American women to step up
to the Olympic level. The fresh faces was a young
(10:01):
and determined Carly Patterson. Patterson was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
in nineteen eighty eight. Growing up, Carly wanted to be
just like Nadiya Komenici and Shannon Miller, her two gymnastics heroes.
She got hooked on gymnastics after a birthday party at
a gym when she was only six years old. Her
goal was to win the all around Olympic gold medal,
(10:23):
and she worked every day to become the best so
she could achieve it. At the World Championships in two
thousand and three, Carly won a silver medal on beam
and had her signature dismount, known as an Arabian double front,
officially named the Patterson after her. This incredibly difficult maneuver
is when the gymnast starts out as though she's doing
(10:44):
a backflip but immediately does a half twist. The women
of the US team, in part because of Carly's strong performances,
won a first ever World Championship gold team medal. In
the three years since the Sydney embarrassment, it look like
US Gymnastics was successfully developing a strong roster of excellent,
(11:05):
focused young athletes who could contend for the gold in
Athens in two thousand and four. The only thing I
really really want Carly Patterson said, is for the US
to win again, Just to win another team gold. Despite
a commitment to review gymnastics training practices, fair play, and
the culture of the sport from the inside out. Just
(11:27):
one year after the Sydney Olympic Games in two thousand,
Marta Coroli was named national coordinator of the US women's
gymnastics team. You remember Marta, right, the wife and longtime
coaching partner of Bellacaroli. CNN's expose of the Coroli ranch
reported that the Coroles would strike minor child gymnasts, scratch
(11:48):
minor child gymnasts until they bled, encourage parents of the
minor child gymnasts to hit their children, and require gymnasts
to train while.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
They were ill.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
The fe L gymnasts competing for spots on the two
thousand and four Athens Olympics team would head to the
Coroli Ranch, a sprawling two thousand acre compound set in
the Sam Houston National Forest in Texas, to practice and
battle it out under the watchful eye of Martin Coroli.
Was she a more patient, less abusive coach than Bella
(12:21):
by all accounts, yes, but was moving the team's leadership
from one allegedly abusive team coordinator to another more passive
partner within that same system. The improvement gymnast deserved after Sydney,
probably not in the case of an emergency. The closest
(12:41):
hospital was so far away you need to be helicoptered
there from the Coroli Ranch, wrote reporter Holly Anne. To
get to the ranch, you must drive up a dirt
road for what seems like an eternity. On top of that,
there is no cell service. It's completely isolated, and that's
no mistake. That's how the Corolis wanted it. Even more worrying,
(13:03):
no parents were allowed at Coroli Ranch. According to NBC
reporter Liz Clark, the gymnasts bunked in cabins six to.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Eight to a room.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
The aspiring olympians practices were as carefully scripted as their diets.
They gave us choices, but Marta sees what you eat,
and if she doesn't like what you're eating or the
way you look, she'll tell you, said Courtney McCool, who
ultimately did make Martha's cut and go on to represent
the US at the Athens Olympics. Marta sees you every month,
(13:33):
so if she thinks you've gained weight or you've looked better,
she'll tell you.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
So.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
USA Gymnastics did make a shift in their approach to
training athletes after Sydney, inasmuch as Bela Coroli was replaced
by his wife Marta as the national team coordinator, but
the women continued to train in the allegedly unsafe environment
of Coroli Ranch, and their human welfare seemingly remained subordinate
to national interests. In the words of US say Gymnastics
(14:00):
president Bob Colarossi, MARTA's emphasis on technique and drive towards
excellence is to push our program needs to be medal contenders.
Everyone was once again myopically focused on putting a team
in place that would meddle. Marta Coroli announced the team
for the historic two thousand and four Athens Olympic Games.
(14:23):
After the trials and training camp, the USA team was
Carly Patterson, Courtney Coupets, Courtney McCool, Mohemy Bardoisee, Ania Hatch,
and Tarn Humphrey, with three other women, Chelsea Memmo, Tasha
Schweikert and Alish Ashino named as alternates. Could these young
(14:44):
women succeed where the Sydney team failed, would the rising
Chinese team once again show themselves more deserving of a
place on the metal stand. Meanwhile, in China, whispers about
whether their team had deserved a place on the metal
stand in two thousand were swirling, undermining the national triumph.
Chinese officials were not happy about having to defend the
(15:06):
Olympic win. In the media and communist countries, controlling the
media narrative is of paramount importance to maintaining leadership. The
traditional media in China, said businesswoman and TV journalist Yang Lan,
is still heavily controlled by the government, but in my
personal view, certain censorship is important since nations have different
(15:28):
social and cultural backgrounds. In two thousand and one, on
the heels of the Chinese women's gymnastics team winning bronze.
Clamping down on the rumors of cheating and emphasizing the
metal where the government's prerogative. But just because you control
the media doesn't mean you control common sense. It wasn't
just the international community commenting that the Chinese gymnasts in
(15:50):
Sydney looked far younger than the required sixteen years old anymore,
And it wasn't just the international community noting the unfairness
if under aged gymnasts had competed on behalf of China.
Women's gymnastics is a sport where being lighter and less
developed can be a huge advantage. Throwing your body into
the air and spinning and twisting is much easier the
(16:13):
lighter you are. Some also say that being younger means
being more ignorant of the pressures and stress of Olympic competition.
After all, the more mature you are, the more you
understand how the sports world really works and how high
the metal stakes really are. Citizens in China recognized all
of this. They were putting the pieces together, and they
(16:35):
weren't happy to think their country's win had come unfairly.
These rumors of age falsification now both a national and
international problem for China grew each year after Sydney to
talk about possible passport doping could not be quashed by
China's medium machine. Passport doping meant that athlete's accreditation paperwork
(16:57):
was not reflecting their biological variables, indicating that their official
documents were in fact inauthentic. The concerns and rumors grew
loud enough that they reached the organization that oversees the
entire sport, the International Gymnastics Federation, or FIG, and they
decided to take action. As FIG launched an investigation into
(17:18):
the age of athletes on the Chinese team, the gymnastics
world watched and wondered if the long suspected passport doping
in Sydney could be proven, and if so, what might
the penalty or punishment be. While FIG got to work
investigating passport doping continued in gymnastics. The flip side of media,
(17:39):
after all, is that it gives unsavory players ideas. If
you know what I mean, just look at Canadian murderer
Mark Twitchell, who, once inspired by the TV show Dexter,
went on to kill in real life. There are so
many voices in media nowadays. All it takes is for
the wrong voice to resonate with the wrong player, and bam,
(18:00):
you've got a recipe for scandal. If Shina could cheat
and walk away with the bronze Olympic medal, why couldn't
other countries with an eye towards national achievement bend the rules.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
In their own favor. Hmm.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
North Korea decided that it darn well could. The difference
this time, however, was that FIG was ready for age
falsification transgressions. The Gymnastics Watchdog slapped the sanction of North Korea,
which lasted through twenty twelve, after finding out that Hong
su Jong, a star artistic gymnast, competed at the two
thousand and four Athens Olympics under age. North Korea wasn't
(18:38):
even allowed to compete in the London Olympics gymnastics competitions
because of the scandal. No leniency was shown by FIG
to North Korea. In a stunning show a regulatory force,
it seemed that while training practices hadn't shifted as greatly
as one might have hoped in the aftermath of the
Sydney Olympic Games, that at least FIG was taking its
(18:59):
response onsibility to uphold fair sportsmanship very seriously. Figg's determination
to return integrity to the sport appeared to buoy the
US women's gymnastics team, who were focused on redefining their
Olympic narrative after Sydney. Under the leadership of Carly Patterson
and with Mohemi Bardoise, one of the greatest gymnasts of
(19:20):
Indian origin ever, as their captain, the team was determined
to showcase the level of skill, unity, and unwavering spirit
that captured the essence of gymnastics at its finest. Carly
Patterson was a veritable beacon of determination as she and
her team took to the gym August seventeenth, two thousand
(19:41):
and four, for team finals at the Athens Olympics. Would
they deliver a team gold as the Magnificent Seven had
done back in nineteen ninety six. Would they falter as
the US team had done in two thousand. When asked,
Carly said, I think we're all really strong and we
just need to keep working really hard. If we go
out there and do our best, we'll win again. All
(20:03):
we need to do is hit and hit they did.
In a major reversal from Sydney. The Chinese team finished
a distant seventh, while the US women won a silver medal,
losing by less than one point to gold medal winning Romania,
a perennial powerhouse. Russia finished in third, and there was
barely one point separating all three medaling teams. Redemption was
(20:28):
finally theirs, and the US women headed into individual competition
at the Athens Games with confidence and poise. Despite her
enormous talent, Carly Patterson was actually not the favorite going
into the individual all around competition at Athens.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
That distinction belonged.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
To Russia's Svetlana Krkina, a veteran gymnast who was determined
to claim her gold in Athens. The thing about Svetlana
was that she didn't make it easy to root for
a major star in Russia. Svetlana had a way of
turn turning off international spectators with her uber nationalistic sore
grapes commentary. To be always first is completely normal for me,
(21:09):
as it is from my great country, which certain silly
people don't agree with.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Svetlana said.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Her attitude lacked the sporting optimism that gymnastics sorely needed
in two thousand and four. So while most sportscasters begrudgingly
had Setlana Peg to win. They certainly weren't disappointed when
Carly Patterson, the cheerful can do Kansas City athlete representing
the US won the day. Carly scored over nine point
(21:36):
seven on two events, beam and floor, a score matched
only by Svetlana corcanut on bars. Her history making performance
on the balance beam, especially, which was capped off by
an incredible signature dismount, secured her the gold all around,
breaking a twenty year drought for the US women after
Mary lou Rettin's win in nineteen eighty four. Carly Patterson's
(21:59):
individual jewel all around gold medal symbolized personal triumph, but
also served as a testament to the collective strength of
the entire US gymnastics team. The journey to and triumph
at the two thousand and four Athens Olympics proved to
be a test of resilience for the US women's gymnastics team,
(22:20):
as the athletes navigated new training regimes under Marta Coroli
and shook free from the shadow of Sydney. However, the
true challenge lay ahead as the sport itself underwent a
paradigm shift with the evolving code of Points that measured artistry, acrobatics,
and grace in gymnastics, all considered essential in a well
(22:41):
rounded and gold metal deserving routine. Meanwhile, figg's age verification
investigation was ramping up and questions about China's team were growing.
The tension was building on all fronts within the gymnastics community,
and the Sydney scandal's resolution couldn't be put off much longer.
(23:04):
As gymnastics grappled with a new code of Points, the
landscape shifted again at the two thousand and seven Beijing
Gymnastics World Championships. Here, concerns about the ages of Chinese
gymnasts reached new heights, even as Chinese officials and coaches
pushed back on the escalating allegations. Asians have different figures
(23:25):
than people from the West, so that's what's caused their suspicion,
said Huang Yu, been, head coach of China's men's and
women's gymnastics teams, referring to media inquiries, they shouldn't be suspicious.
Despite Chinese protestations of innocence, fig found itself under heightened
scrutiny and pressure from the international Olympic Committee often referred
(23:47):
to as the IOC, to investigate the passport doping concerns
after the two thousand and seven Beijing Gymnastics World Championships,
setting the stage for a comprehensive inquiry into age eligibility
and athlete well being. Figg's actions during this period played
a crucial role in shaping the narrative leading up to
the two thousand and eight Beijing Olympics. As the world
(24:10):
turned its attention to China as the host nation, the
gymnastics community faced a reckoning, with questions about fair play,
adherence to rules, and the overall integrity of the sport
taking center stage. The IOC delved into the intricate details
of athlete birth certificates, passports, and official records, directly desperately
(24:32):
wanting to restore a reputation for integrity to the sport.
The two thousand and eight Beijing Olympics marked a pivotal
moment in the history of women's gymnastics. As the world
turned its gaze to the iconic Bird's Nest stadium, The
gymnastics arena transformed into a stage for breathtaking performances and
(24:52):
nail biting competitions. The stadium at the Beijing Games was
nicknamed the Bird's Nest because of its nest like skeleton structure.
The opening ceremony encompassed two parts titled Brilliant Civilization and
Glorious Era, respectively. The first performance showcased the Chinese civilization,
and the second act presented modern China and its dream
(25:15):
of harmony between everyone in the world. Pretty ironic under
the cloud of a cheating scandal, don't you think. According
to organizers, the stadium was at full capacity with ninety
one thousand people in attendance at the opening of the
Beijing Olympic Games. But even with all of this extravagance,
this visual feast for viewers worldwide, the spotlight was on
(25:36):
the formidable US women's gymnastics team, which came into Beijing
as reigning Olympic teams silver medallists. Led by the indomitable
Sean Johnson and Nastia Lucan, the US team dazzled the
world with their precision, grace, nerves of steel, and wild
acrobatic feats, But it was the Chinese team that came
(25:58):
roaring back from their feet in two thousand and four,
perhaps spurred by home team advantage, hosting the two thousand
and eight Summer Olympics was a symbol of China's rejuvenation,
rights historian xiong Wang. Through the extravagant opening ceremony, the
Chinese government showcased China's historical glory and new achievements, unassailable
evidence that China had finally made it.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
China won the team.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Gold, edging up the strong US team, who captured the
silver by two points. The competition between the gymnastics powerhouses
of USA and China intensified as both nations vied for
supremacy in the coveted all around individual title. Sean Johnson's
dynamic floor routines and Nastie Lukan's elegant performances on the
(26:43):
uneven bars solidified their status as gymnastic icons. In a
spectacular turn of events, Nasti A Lukan clinched the coveted
gold in the all around, while Sean Johnson secured the silver.
Yilin Jong of China took the bronze. Americans had never
before finished first and second in gymnastics all around competition,
(27:06):
and despite not topping the podium in the individual medals,
China had secured a bronze on top of their team
gold he had. Amidst the celebrations from both teams. At
the two thousand and eight Beijing Olympic Games, questions arose
about the eligibility of some Chinese gymnasts, once again stirring
debate about age manipulation and fairness in the sport. Journalists
(27:29):
took notes specifically of the Chinese team, which was officially
comprised of gymnasts who supposedly met the age necessary to compete,
but news reports after the Beijing Games made mention of
the extremely small size of some of the Chinese team
and implied their size meant they could not possibly have
been sixteen years old sometime in two thousand and eight.
(27:51):
For example, Leen Lindanng was just four foot six inches
and weighed only sixty eight pounds. Yu Yanjong was barely
bigger at four foot seven inches and only seventy pounds.
The average height and weight for the Chinese team was
four foot nine inches and seventy seven pounds. In comparison,
(28:12):
sixteen year old US gymnast Sean Johnson was a veritable
linebacker at four foot nine and ninety pounds. They're using
half people. Marta Corolei told the Associated Press, one of
the biggest frustrations is what arrogance these people think that
we're stupid.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
We're in the.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Business of gymnastics, and we know what a kid of
fourteen or fifteen or sixteen looks like. You don't have
to be a gymnastics coach to know what they look
like at sixteen. During the competition itself, Coroli was overheard
to exclaim, what kind of slap in the face is this?
They are twelve fourteen years old, Max, and they line
(28:49):
them up for the world and are having the government
backed them. Investigation by US media into the claims of
China cheating at the Olympics again was fierce. Sportswriter E. M.
Swift specifically criticized the International Olympic Committee the IOC for
spending millions of dollars trying to ferret out drug cheats
(29:10):
while ignoring allegations of institutionalized cheating by the Chinese government
and with the finger heatedly pointed in its direction by
the press, the IOC finally acted by ordering the Federation
Internationality Gymnastique the FIG to investigate if, in fact, Leen Lean,
Dang or any other gymnasts on China's twenty eighteen had
(29:33):
only been fourteen years old at the time of the
Beijing Olympic Games. Andre Geisbueller, Secretary General of the PIG, said,
I would hope that the whole world in sport realizes
that the FIG is serious about these rules and the
ethics and moral questions. And yet FIG, the organization that
it kicked off an in depth review of practices in
(29:55):
gymnastics and which had punished North Korea with a severe
band for passport doping in Athens in two thousand and four,
now shocked the world just four years later by ignoring
the facts which journalists had independently uncovered. Suddenly FIG seemed
not to be the integral body with an ethical iron fist.
China produced a passport with the required dates for each
(30:18):
member of their twenty eight team, and FIG didn't investigate further. Instead,
they turned a blind eye to overwhelming proof of unfair play.
All passports are valid for all gymnasts competing in the
Beijing Olympic Games, FIG said in a nondescript statement. The
(30:38):
New York Times countered FIG's ruling with the headline athletes
only as old as China says they are oh Snap.
Marta Coroli was also crystal clear about what she thought
of the controversy. We are ready to take on any team,
She deadpanned overage or under age. The International Gymnastics Federation's
(30:58):
investigations and subsequent clearance of the Chinese gymnast fueled discussions
about the ethics of competition. Once again, the sport felt
marred by bad behavior. As the curtain fell on the
gymnastics events in Beijing. The two thousand and eight Olympics
left an indelible mark, a complex tapestry of triumph, controversy,
(31:19):
and the enduring pursuit of athletic excellence that defines the
world of women's gymnastics. Just because fig called curtains on
investigating the two thousand and eight Beijing Games didn't mean
that the curtains fell, however, Power to the people right.
A flurry of challenges emerged almost immediately. Bloggers stride Hacks
(31:40):
claimed to have uncovered proof suggesting that Hua Ku Shin,
of the Chinese gymnastics team in Beijing was only fourteen,
too young to have competed in the Olympics. Internet searches
and alleged web pages compiled by China's General Administration of
Sport seemed to support what stride Hacks had found. Age
falsification claims intensified, leading some to dig even further back
(32:05):
again into the age of the Chinese gymnasts. At the
Sydney Olympics in two thousand, the year they edged out
the US for the team bronze medal, this is the
moment when the national tide turned. An overwhelming evidence came
forward that Sydney team members Dong Fang Xiao in likely
Young Young as well, had been too young to have
competed there under the rules at the time. The New
(32:29):
York Times conducted its own investigation, producing results that aligned
with the suspicions raised by stride Hacks and other bloggers,
further fuelling the controversy surrounding the Chinese gymnastics team. Chinese
officials vehemently defended their team, asserting that their athletes adhered
to Olympic age regulations in every Olympics Games. The eligibility
(32:51):
of the athletes has already been investigated and authorized by
the International Federation, and if they hadn't been cleared, they
wouldn't have anticipated in the games, Statedhogwai, Executive Vice president
of the Beijing Olympic Committee. However, skepticism persisted and grew,
compounding the questions that had always lingered since two thousand
(33:13):
about the authenticity of the athlete documentation provided by China.
Dong fang Xiao, whose name I've burned into your mind
as being at the epicenter of this scandal, drew scrutiny
in two thousand and eight when she registered as a
technical official, not a competitor, at the Beijing Olympics, and
in an unexpected twist, listed her age. Her simple slip
(33:36):
up brought the whole house of cards tumbling down. Dong
fang Xiao's birthdate in the FIG database was recorded as
January twentieth, nineteen eighty three. However, the accreditation information she
provided for the Beijing Olympics listed her birthday as January
twenty third, nineteen eighty six, implying she would have been
(33:59):
only four during the Sydney Games and thus ineligible to compete.
In an interview, a flustered, hounded Dong feng Jiao slipped
up again, openly stating that she was fourteen during the
two thousand Sydney Olympics. However, when pressed further, during the
FIG's investigation, Dong refused to provide clarity, leaving more questions
(34:22):
than answers. In yet a third puzzling twist, on Dong's
own personal blog, she indicated she was born in the
year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac, which spanned
from February twentieth, nineteen eighty five to February eighth, nineteen
eighty six. This significantly boasted the claim that she was
only fourteen. In two thousand, FIG expressed dissatisfaction with the
(34:48):
explanations and evidence provided for Dong's age at the two
thousand Sydney Games, signaling a potential crack and the credibility
of the Chinese team's eligibility. And then the una expected
happened suddenly, swiftly, after so many years of rumors. FIG
nullified Dong feng Xiao's Sydney results, citing insufficient evidence to
(35:10):
prove she was actually sixteen that year. Consequently, the results
obtained by Dong fang Jiao the two thousand Sydney Olympic
Games had been canceled. FIG said in a statement. The
FIG Executive Committee decision was forwarded to the IOC Executive
Board with the recommendation to withdraw the bronze medal obtained
(35:31):
by the Chinese team, including the results of Dong fang
Jiao in Sydney. The fallout was swift and severe. Dong
fang Zhao's nineteen ninety nine World Championships and two thousand
Olympic results, as well as her other results in world
competitions in nineteen ninety nine and two thousand, were expunged
(35:52):
from the records. The IOC officially disqualified China, who had
originally won the bronze medal in the women's team event.
The IOC ordered China's National Olympic Committee to return the
team medals as soon as possible so they could be
reallocated to the US team. While many Chinese citizens were
(36:12):
relieved to put the issue to rest at last in
the spirit of fairness, some Chinese sports fans reacted with
anger to the news that gymnast Dong fang Jiao had
been stripped of her Olympic medal, but their ire was
directed at the Chinese government, not the International Olympic Committee.
Cry for Dong fang Xiao, victim of the sports system,
(36:33):
read the headline on a post by Li Jiayong, sports
columnist on the popular netes Web portal. Competing for her
local team in the Chinese National Games, she damaged her
knee permanently in order to win an Olympic medal for
the national team. Her age was hidden in't dare to
use the word falsify, which may cause trouble, Lee wrote,
(36:54):
And she has been humiliated. It's enough to make you cry.
Lie jiayog isn't wrong. Dong fang Xiao got ensnared in
a scandal that was almost certainly not of her making
orchestrated by Chinese officials with metal ambitions. I hope she's
found some peace and happiness in New Zealand at last.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
As for the US.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Women's gymnastics team from two thousand, well, they were spread
out across America a decade after their.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
Humiliating Sydney defeat.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
When their mobile phones started pinging alerts, calls and emails
were coming in non stop congratulating them on the metal reversal.
They had won bronze after all. At least, Ray said,
I was in complete shock. We had gotten wind.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Of it a few months before that.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
There was an investigation, right, I put it out of
my head when I heard.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
The news, I couldn't believe it. I was so happy.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
I never in a million years thought I'd be getting
a medal. In August twenty ten, nearly ten years after
the competition in Sydney, the now third place team from
the United States was awarded the bronze medal and a
ceremony held at the Excel Center in Hartford, Connecticut during
the twenty ten US National Championships. Dominic Dawes expressed the
(38:11):
collective sentiment of the US team justice prevailed. My teammates
are very well deserving of the bronze medal, and I'm
sure each and every one of us will be thrilled.
We will cherish it. That bronze medal, now rightfully in
the possession of the US women gymnasts, became a symbol
(38:33):
of rectified justice and a testament to the enduring spirit
of fair play in sports. This juicy scandal exposed not
only the complexities of age verification in gymnastics, but also
prompted a reevaluation.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Of historical results.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
No one who fiddled with the rules to come out
on top, past, present, or future, is above justice because
cheating challenges the very essence of fair play and integrity
in Olympic competent TI. But has this age falsification scandal
and gymnastics been put to sleep for good?
Speaker 2 (39:07):
I think not.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Scandal and human nature seemed to go hand in hand
after all, as far as China goes. In two thousand
and nine, news outlets reported that the Chinese Sports Ministry
and Guangdong Province had used X ray bone analysis to
determine the real ages of athletes competing in a variety
of sports in China. The procedure was performed on fifteen
(39:30):
thousand young Chinese athletes and revealed that twenty percent have
lied about their ages. Three thousand were older than they
claimed to be. That means that one fifth were outside
the eligible age range for the various sports, one out
of every five athletes. These findings indicate that age falsification
(39:51):
is a pervasive issue in China's state run sports system.
In China's success in sports is tied to funding, which
seems to have led to the winning at all host
mentality shared by early dominant state run systems like the
Soviet Union and East Germany. But for the USA the
outlook is brighter now with the award of the bronze
(40:11):
medal back to the rightful winners. The curse of two
thousand in Sydney was broken, and the US women have
dominated gymnastics ever since, Beginning with Carly Patterson and her
electrifying performance in two thousand and four in Athens. The
US women have won the individual all around gold medal
in every Olympic Games. Nastie Lucan in two thousand and eight,
(40:33):
Gabby Douglas in twenty twelve, Simone Bios in twenty sixteen,
and Sonissa Lee in twenty twenty all won the gold
all around, and it looks as though Simone Biles isn't
finished as she prepares to compete with a whole generation
of fresh faces at the Olympic Games in Paris, France
in twenty twenty four. May all the teams there put
(40:53):
forth gymnasts who meet the rules required, and may everyone
from coaches and athletes to team coordinators and administrators exemplify
all that is good and noble about the sport. Join
me your host Jay Harris for next week's episode of
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals. Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a
(41:20):
production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions and Workhouse
Media from executive producers Dan Patrick Paul Anderson, Nick Panela,
Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris, Written
and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks, Maya Glickman, and
Jennifer Clare,
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