China was stripped of a team all-around bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics on Wednesday because it fielded an underage gymnast. Dong Fangxiao was discovered to be 14 at the time of those Games, two years younger than the minimum age requirement.

The medal will be given to the United States team which finished fourth in Sydney. The IOC has asked for China to return the medals "as soon as possible" so they can be reallocated to the U.S. team. 

The action comes 20 months after China was accused of doctoring the ages of at least two of its gymnasts at the Beijing Games. Those allegations became a focal point of the 2008 Games but were quickly hushed up by the IOC after it cleared China following a sham investigation which basically consisted of the Olympic governing body asking China if they were really, really sure that the gymnasts were of age. When China said "yes" and produced passports and ID cards, the IOC dropped the matter, seemingly content to let the controversy pass and not risk offending its Olympic hosts.

Forget the fact that media reports and security experts found Chinese government documents which said 2008 team member He Kexin was 14 years old and not 16. Forget that asking China to produce documents proving its innocence would be like replacing drug tests with a simple questionaire in which athletes are asked whether they've ever doped or not. And, now, expect the IOC to forget that Dong had proper documentation at one point too, documentation which was clearly forged.

Dong was caught because somebody slipped up and printed a different birthdate on her credentials for Beijing. Instead of being born in on Jan. 20, 1983, as was claimed in Sydney, Dong's listed birthdate was Jan. 23, 1986. On her blog she says she was born in the Year of the Ox, which would fit with the Jan. 1986 birthday. 

The International Gymnastics Federation looked into the allegations following the controversy in Beijing and recommended to the IOC that China be stripped of its medal from 2000 because of Dong's participation. The organization did so Wednesday at a board meeting in Dubai.

This action only happened because the evidence was so overwhelming that the IOC had to act. They didn't seek out the truth, it was thrust upon them. As the organization showed in Beijing, if it had its druthers, it would have swept this under the rug long ago.

Just because China cheated in 2000 doesn't necessarily mean those gymnasts were under 16 in Beijing. It does, however, lead to a lot more questions and should reopen the inquiry. Knowing the IOC, don't hold your breath.

中国体操为年龄门付出代价 奥运会女团铜牌被剥夺

中国女子体操选手董芳霄2000年9月十九日在悉尼奥运会女子体操团体赛高低杠比赛中。 中新社发 李刚 摄

　　中新网4月29日电 当地时间4月28日，国际奥委会官方宣布，因参加2000年悉尼奥运会的中国女子体操队中包括了当年未满16周岁的选手董芳霄，剥夺中国队所获得的体操女子团体铜牌，改授美国。

　　董芳霄是中国女子体操队取得悉尼奥运会团体铜牌的主力队员之一。2008年北京奥运会期间，身为技术官员的她在注册资料中显示，其出生日期为1986年1月23日，按以上信息计算，她在参加悉尼奥运会时应为14周岁，违反了国际体联关于运动员年龄的规定。

　　而董芳霄在国际体联的注册年龄则是1983年1月20日，国际体联在去年开始调查这一问题，并在今年二月公布调查情况，明确表示参加2000年悉尼奥运会的中国女子体操选手董芳霄，时年不足16岁。随即，国际体联决定取消其在2000年悉尼奥运会、1999年天津世锦赛、2000年世界杯总决赛等比赛成绩。

　　国际奥委会执委会当地时间28日作出决定，取消董芳霄在悉尼奥运会上女子个人自由体操和跳马的第六、七名成绩，收回并重新分配有董芳霄参加的中国女子体操队获得的女子团体铜牌。这枚铜牌将授予当时获得第四名的美国队。国际奥委会已经要求中国奥委会尽快交回相关的奖牌和证书。

　　在今年三月国际体联的调查结果公布后，体育总局体操运动管理中心主任罗超毅曾表示，董芳霄参加1999年世锦赛、2000年悉尼奥运会的年龄，中国体操队是没有任何造假情节的。董芳霄的年龄在退役后被改小了三岁，应该是其个人及家人的行为。

　　按照国际体联规定，运动员要满16周岁才能参加奥运会比赛。之所以要杜绝运动员“以小充大”，是因为年龄小的运动员身体灵活，容易完成高难度动作。通常情况下，一旦女子体操运动员到了发育年龄，就将面临走下坡路，所以女体操选手退役都比较早，而教练也会在选材中，倾向挑选“小巧玲珑"的苗子。