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"Younger gymnasts learn stunts faster and are bold in experimenting with highly difficult stunts," he said.
Yang Yun, Dong's teammate, who admitted in a TV interview later that she was 14 at the time of the Sydney Olympics, was given a warning Saturday, as "the concrete and objective evidence available is insufficient to prove that the birth date indicated on the official documents was falsified."
Age is an issue in gymnastics because younger athletes have a competitive edge over older ones, according to Ren Hai, a professor of sports culture at Beijing Sports University.
A nearly 10-year Olympic investigation into age-falsification claims against China has resulted in the country being stripped of a medal.
By Guo Qiang
The FIG announced in June that it would investigate age falsification surrounding Yang, the uneven bars bronze winner.
Attempts to contact Lu through her cell phone were unsuccessful Sunday.
The athlete in question, Dong Fangxiao, was found to be only 14 at the 2000 Sydney Games. She was one of the gymnastic squad members and helped her team win a bronze medal that will have to be returned.
Lu said that the CGA would do its best to minimize the loss of the medal by further communicating with the FIG, the IOC and Dong and strictly controlling age falsifications in major competitions by complying with relevant regulations set by the FIG.
Chinese sports authorities said Sunday that it was "extremely regrettable" that the FIG Executive Committee decided to void Dong's results.
Under the current age rules set by FIG, gymnasts younger than 16 are forbidden to participate at major championships and the Olympics – to protect the health of young athletes.
The Federation International of Gymnastics (FIG) ordered that China must also pay the cost of the investigation.
Age falsification has long been a problem in gymnastics.
The North Korean women's gymnastics team listed the age of Kim Gwang suk as 15 for three consecutive years at three separate international competitions. Romanian athletes have also been caught cheating.
China also came under fire at the 2008 Beijing Games because of allegations that it was using underage gymnasts, with other countries pointing to official online records that were later removed. The government provided passports and birth certificates for the athletes in question and no action was taken by the FIG.
The Chinese Gymnastics Association (CGA) said Saturday in a statement posted on its official website that the governing body would further investigate the matter and didn't rule out asking for further explanation or seeking an appeal.
On the FIG's official website, a profile of Dong shows that she was born on January 20, 1983. However, her accreditation card at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games says that her birth date was January 23, 1986.
Dong Fangxiao is seen in action on the beam at the Sydney Olympic Games on September 19, 2000. Photo: Popperfoto/Getty Images
And because their bodies are still developing, experts say, the younger athletes are often more limber and smaller.
Lu Shanzhen, who led the Chinese women's gymnastics team in Sydney, claimed Sunday that there was insufficient evidence that Dong's age was falsified when participating in competition in 1999 and 2000, according to an interview with news portal 163.com.
Dong's results from the 1999 world championships, where she finished sixth in the all-around event, will be also voided, the FIG said.
TAG: by Dong Fangxiao By Guo Qiang
