150:, contend that " immature skeleton just isn't ready to handle the day-to-day stresses that will occur", and that the stresses imposed on only partly developed muscular/skeletal system by gymnastics are almost certain to cause damage that would persist into adulthood. Proponents also point to a 16-year American study of gymnastics injuries which concluded that gymnastics is the most dangerous sport for girls, with injury rates comparable to those found in boys who play soccer, basketball and hockey. A gymnast whose bones are still growing is more likely than an adult to suffer skeletal injury, because the bones are more porous and the joints not yet fully formed. Lesions, which are precursors to stress fractures, occur in 11% of young female gymnasts, compared to 2.3% of girls and women in general. The International Gymnastics Federation says that intense physical activity, such as that engaged in by gymnasts training at the elite level, affects the functioning of growth hormones, possibly causing delayed bone growth and the onset of puberty – although the body is able to recover and catch up later if given rest periods.
513:), the 2007 World Championships silver medalist on vault, was investigated for age discrepancies in 2010. Hong competed at the 2004 Olympics with a March 9, 1985, birth date, but participated in subsequent Asian Games and World Championships meets with a 1986 year of birth. Her 2010 FIG license and 2010 Worlds registration indicated that she was born in 1989. The FIG responded in October 2010 by provisionally banning North Korea from competition for one month, which effectively barred them from the 2010 World Championships. In November 2010, the FIG extended the ban until October 5, 2012, fined the North Korean Federation $ 20,800, and banned Hong from competing even in national competition within North Korea.
501:, where she worked as a vault secretary, listed her birthdate as January 23, 1986. Additionally, her blog stated she was born during the Year of the Ox, which would place her birthdate between February 1985 and February 1986. An FIG investigation determined in 2010 that Dong was 14 during the 2000 Olympics and the Chinese team should be stripped of its bronze medal. Dong's 1999 World Championships and World Cup results were vacated. In April 2010, the International Olympic Committee upheld the FIG's recommendation and nullified both the Chinese team's bronze medal and Dong's individual Olympic placement.
278:
speculation has been raised due to the young appearance of the gymnasts. Age falsification has been revealed and confirmed in several ways. In some cases, gymnasts themselves have come forward and publicly confirmed and verified the falsification. In other cases, documents revealing inconsistencies, such as original birth certificates, have been researched and uncovered by the press. Inconsistencies with reported birth dates and ages at international and national competitions have also led to the discovery of age falsification.
208:
instance, gymnasts born in 1977 were allowed to compete at senior events in 1991, when they were 14 or turning 14 within the calendar year. Within the last
Olympic cycle, gymnasts born in 1992 were permitted to compete as seniors in 2007. This was permitted to allow nations to qualify to the Olympics with their best teams, and to give emerging gymnasts some experience in major competition before the Olympics. However, the FIG eliminated this exception as of the 2012 Olympic cycle.
339:, tend to be lighter, smaller, more pliable and flexible, which aids them in performing more complex skills and gives them a better strength-to-weight ratio. When a gymnast hits puberty, growth spurts and weight gain may affect her centre of gravity, causing mental and physical stress as she must adjust, and in some cases relearn, her moves to compensate. Smaller gymnasts have generally excelled in the more challenging acrobatic elements required by the evolving
365:, was active on the international circuit between 1987 and 1993. During this time, several observers claimed she was too young for senior competition. The North Korean Gymnastics Federation submitted inconsistent dates of birth for Kim at various competitions, claiming that she was 15 for three consecutive years. As punishment, the FIG barred the North Korean women's team from the World Championships in 1993. She competed in the
285:, whose age was advanced two years in the 1980s, noted: "One of the officials of the Federation told me 'Look at the passport, from today you're not 13 years old anymore but 15.' Nobody asked me if I agreed to this, I was just a child. They needed gold medals and everybody who was involved in gymnastics knew about these practices."
473:): Silivaş, a multiple World and Olympic gold medalist, competed as a junior until 1985, when her birth year was changed from 1972 to 1970. She went on to compete at the 1985 World Championships at the age of 13. Silivaş revealed the falsification to the media in 2002 during her marriage licence application in
130:, the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15. Under this rule, which went into effect in 1981, gymnasts were required to turn at least 15 years of age in the calendar year to compete in senior-level events. This age requirement remained in place until 1997, when it was raised one more year, from 15 to 16.
138:
Age restrictions were supposedly designed not so much to level the playing field in terms of skill and physical advantages, as to protect child gymnasts from injury, however critics dispute the science behind the policy and argue that the answer is to prohibit junior gymnasts from competing in senior
100:
at the age of 13. At the time, gymnasts had to turn 14 by the start of the Games to be eligible. Kelsall, with her
December 1962 birthday, was five months shy of the requirement but was turning 14 within the Olympic year, and was granted a special exemption by the FIG to compete. Such exemptions were
252:
Supporters of the age restrictions have pointed out that it has encouraged older gymnasts to remain in the sport. The average age of an international gymnast was 18.10 years in 2005. In contrast, in 1994, before the new age requirements, it was 16.49, and in 1989, gymnasts who had reached the age of
207:
The one exception to the F.I.G.'s age restrictions until recently applied to the year before the
Olympics, when gymnasts who were one year below the required age, but would be the required age in the Olympic year, were allowed to compete as seniors at the World Championships and other FIG meets. For
228:
According to official statements from the FIG, "the accepted proof of a gymnast’s eligibility for competition is a valid passport issued by the country of residence." This verification process has been criticized by some in the gymnastics community, with the argument that countries can manufacture
211:
In addition, the age requirement technically only applies to meets which are sanctioned and regulated directly by the FIG: the
Olympics, the World Championships and the World Cup circuit. Many other meets, such as the European Championships, have separate divisions for juniors. Additionally, some
277:
to make them age-eligible for senior-level competition. Reports of age falsification among top-level international gymnasts first began to surface in the 1980s, after the age limit was raised from 14 to 15. This has frequently taken the form of inconsistently reported birthdates; at other times,
220:, have different rules which permit seniors and juniors to compete together. There are also numerous international competitions specifically limited to junior gymnasts, such as the Japan Junior International, Moscow World Stars, the Junior Pan American Championships, and the Youth Olympic Games.
232:
Since 2009, gymnasts competing in FIG-sanctioned events at both the senior and junior level have been required to have licenses issued by the
Federation. These licenses reportedly verify the competitors' ages based on their passports. However, the licensing does not include any independent
153:
In addition, proponents contend that practicing elite sports is mentally and emotionally demanding. Young gymnasts at these levels are often pressured to perform by coaches and parents, and ex-gymnasts have spoken out about behavioural and psychological problems common to the sport.
293:
Gymnastics
Federation, Nicolae Vieru, was quoted in 2002: "Changing the ages was a worldwide practice ... we copied this from others." The FIG has publicly stated that they view age falsification as an unacceptable practice. However, there have only been three cases, those of
317:
Psychologically, younger gymnasts may be more fearless, and have less visceral appreciation for the potential for injury. They are therefore more likely to perform more dangerous, and more highly scored, routines with confidence and steadiness. Olympic medallist
343:
after the 1960s. In addition, older gymnasts may be more prone to certain types of injuries caused by overuse of bones and muscles; younger gymnasts are less likely to have such problems, or more likely to be able to work through pain while injured.
27:
In the latter half of the 20th century, a series of controversies arose with regard to gymnast ages, some of them leading to sanctions by FIG, and paving the way for the age requirements to be raised from 14 to 15 in 1981, and then to 16 in 1997.
1629:
167:, a gymnast must have a birth date before January 1, 2009. There is no maximum age restriction, and some gymnasts compete well into their 20s. The oldest female gymnast competing in senior international events in 2023 is Uzbekistan's
288:
While age falsification has been denied among many gymnastics officials, in recent years some have publicly admitted that the practice has occurred. In reference to the falsifications of the early 1990s and 1980s, the head of the
256:
Opponents of the rule have countered that by barring younger gymnasts from top level meets, they are denying them valuable competitive experience. They have also argued that junior gymnasts perform and are scored under the same
229:
and submit falsified documents for underage gymnasts. In several cases, gymnasts involved in age falsification have verified that they did in fact compete under forged passports provided to them by their federations.
78:, who followed Latynina to become a two-time Olympic all-around champion, was 22 before she started winning gold medals at the highest level of the sport, and won her final Olympic all-around title at the age of 26.
563:(FIG) found that the gymnasts had met the age requirements and were eligible to compete. The Chinese sports administration also acknowledged that mistakes in its paperwork have contributed to the misunderstanding.
162:
Currently, per the 1997 regulation, gymnasts must be at least 16 years of age, or turning 16 within the calendar year, to compete in senior-level events. For the current
Olympic cycle, in order to compete in the
326:
that "Psychologically, I think they worry less". Daniela Silivaş, in her interview, commented, "You should know that I competed better at the age of 13 than at 17. I felt much better, physical [
547:– was brought into question, with many foreign media outlets speculating that they were underage during the Olympics. Multiple age investigations were conducted at the urging of media, as well as
241:
The age limit is arguably one of the most contentious rules in gymnastics, and is frequently debated by coaches, gymnasts and members of the media. While some members of the sport, such as former
1637:
389:
at the age of 13, under a passport which gave her year of birth as 1967. She was in fact born in 1968. The falsification was suspected as early as 1981; Agache confirmed her 1968 birthdate to
1148:
1065:
281:
Gymnasts who have had their ages falsified, and have spoken about their experiences, have indicated that they were not given a choice in the matter. In a 2002 interview, Romanian gymnast
522:
1701:
314:
According to many scientific and medical studies, as well as reports from ex-gymnasts, younger gymnasts may have psychological or physical advantages in elite gymnastics competition.
369:
at the estimated age of 11 or 12. However, she may have been younger than that. At the 1992 Olympics, she claimed she was 17. However, her front teeth were missing, leading
461:
and was the all-around gold medalist at the 1984 Friendship Games, has been reported as having 1968 and 1969 birth dates, but has stated that she was actually born in 1970.
1606:
1227:
582:
92:
By the late 1970s, Federations occasionally requested permission to allow slightly underage gymnasts to compete as seniors. One such example is that of
Canadian gymnast
261:
as the seniors, perform the same skills, and are thus not avoiding the physical impact of training and performing high-level skills. It is also argued that the current
405:): Bicherova, the 1981 World Champion in the all-around event, was introduced at an early 1981 meet as a 12-year-old, but was claimed to have been born in 1966 at the
560:
81:
In the 1970s, the average age of
Olympic gymnastics competitors gradually began to decrease. While it was not unheard of for teenagers to compete in the 1960s —
21:
458:
438:
406:
386:
366:
265:, with its increased requirements for difficult skills, is more suited to younger and lighter gymnasts, and puts older gymnasts at greater risk of injury.
1651:
1394:
425:
with a passport with a 1977 birth year. However, in 2002 her original birth certificate was uncovered by the media, revealing she had been born in 1978.
855:
1091:
497:. Her birthdate was listed as January 20, 1983, in the FIG database. However, it was discovered that her accreditation as a technical official at the
1140:
437:): Marinescu, a World and team Olympic medalist in the mid-1990s, was given an earlier birth year from 1982 to 1981 in order to be eligible for the
636:
195:
is used to describe any gymnast who competes at a world-class level, but does not meet the F.I.G.'s age minimum. Juniors are judged under the same
1253:
1048:
816:
147:
1338:
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786:
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1536:
1369:
1276:
37:
1693:
952:
1584:
1069:
1850:
340:
974:
730:
1021:
47:
1562:
1469:
999:
1733:
1514:
1614:
761:
1292:
679:
1447:
920:
593:
552:
548:
1492:
1416:
707:
616:
659:
67:
66:
gymnast, won her first
Olympic all-around medal at the age of 21, her second at 25 and her third at 29; she became the 1958
1219:
490:
1759:
1754:
126:
In response to the changing demands of the sport, at the 58th Congress of the FIG, held in July 1980 just before the
1193:
75:
478:
1728:
1390:
1666:
306:
in 2010, where the FIG has elected to take any action against a gymnastics federation for age falsification.
1095:
851:
1840:
632:
1809:
1346:
1250:
1045:
794:
24:(FIG) and regulate the age at which gymnasts are allowed to participate in senior-level competitions.
1592:
1417:"Gold Medalist and His Team May Be Barred From Olympic Games: Last Chance for a North Korean Athlete"
1361:
528:
498:
494:
474:
442:
422:
176:
172:
164:
127:
97:
86:
82:
1544:
1273:
191:, in gymnastics, refers to any world-class gymnast who is age-eligible under F.I.G. rules. The term
143:
1845:
429:
50:) was 14. The earliest champions in women's gymnastics tended to be in their 20s; most had studied
1814:
1787:
1671:
824:
213:
168:
465:
370:
282:
246:
245:
president Bob Colarossi, have expressed support for the age limit of 16, others, such as coach
991:
948:
912:
983:
902:
894:
727:
449:
217:
46:, the minimum required age to compete in senior events sanctioned by the FIG (including the
1025:
1280:
1257:
1052:
765:
734:
711:
663:
274:
109:
team for the 1979 World Championships, was deemed ineligible to compete due to her age of
102:
59:
55:
1723:
1558:
1477:
969:
1522:
907:
397:
377:
242:
71:
43:
758:
1834:
941:
675:
556:
485:
353:
299:
295:
106:
93:
1455:
880:
1500:
1424:
704:
536:
505:
454:
402:
303:
63:
656:
199:
as the seniors, and often exhibit the same level of difficulty in their routines.
1307:
Daniela Silivas, Alexandra Marinescu, Yang Yun, Lavinia Agache, Olga Mostepanova
987:
540:
510:
413:
362:
358:
335:
Physically, younger gymnasts, particularly those who have not yet gone through
898:
544:
319:
995:
916:
1197:
532:
1724:"International Olympic Committee Investigates Underage Gymnasts Claims"
470:
434:
418:
382:
336:
290:
89:— they slowly became the norm, as difficulty in gymnastics increased.
493:): Dong was a member of the bronze-medal winning Chinese team at the
175:. She was 17 years, 1 month old at her first Olympics, the
51:
881:"ABC of Sports Medicine: Musculoskeletal Injuries in Child Athletes"
58:
won individual gold medals at the age of 35 at the 1956 Olympics.
1251:"Gymnasts are Old-lympians/Golden Girls going for gold in Sydney"
373:
to speculate that she may have been as young as 10 at the time.
885:
328:
970:"Physical and Emotional Problems of Elite Female Gymnasts"
253:
17 were already often considered to be of retirement age.
1283:
International Sports Press Association, February 13, 2007
54:
for years before entering the sport. Hungarian gymnast
1755:"Officials say Chinese Olympic gymnasts not underage"
1613:. Associated Press. February 26, 2010. Archived from
523:
2008 Summer Olympics allegation of underage gymnasts
1437:
NBC coverage of the 1992 Olympics team compulsories
676:"List of competitive results and bio at Gymn-Forum"
1652:"North Korea banned 2 years for age falsification"
1543:. Associated Press. April 18, 2002. Archived from
1345:. Associated Press. April 29, 2010. Archived from
1141:"Tweddle the loser as age doubts mar He's triumph"
940:
32:History of age requirements in artistic gymnastics
1274:"Gymnasts too young? FIG says the rumor is false"
171:, (b. 1975) who was 46 years, 1 month old at the
1694:"IOC calls for investigation into gymnast's age"
1607:"FIG: China should be stripped of Sydney bronze"
233:verification of submitted passport information.
1810:"China Cites Paperwork Error in Age of Gymnast"
1667:"Teeny-Tiny Matter of Age for China's Gymnasts"
1630:"FIG Rejects Appeal; No Worlds for North Korea"
1362:"Records Say Chinese Gymnasts May Be Under Age"
1339:"IOC strips 2000 Games bronze medal from China"
1123:"Issues of Age Seem to Follow Chinese Gymnasts"
1046:"Age limits for gymnasts may be set after 2008"
874:
872:
1591:. Translated by Squires, Beth. Archived from
1360:Longman, Jeré and Juliet Macur (2008-07-27).
1325:Kim Gwang Suk, Lavinia Agache, Olga Bicherova
1092:"More questions about Chinese gymnasts' ages"
457:): Mostepanova, who competed at the 1983 and
8:
1220:"More age monitoring for women's gymnastics"
1068:. NIS FIG Office. 2008-08-09. Archived from
845:
843:
841:
657:Gymnastics Canada biography of Karen Kelsall
1559:"List of competitive results at Gymn-Forum"
1333:
1331:
1188:
1186:
1184:
1182:
1585:"Olga Mostepanova: I simply love children"
1169:
1167:
1165:
780:
778:
776:
774:
592:(155): 520. September 1980. Archived from
577:
575:
1118:
1116:
1114:
1112:
906:
348:Major verified cases of age falsification
101:not automatic, however: American gymnast
1491:Melik-Karamov, Vitali (September 1982).
934:
932:
930:
759:"Romanian gymnasts faked age to compete"
561:Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
216:, the Pacific Rim Championships and the
22:Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
1493:"Olga Bicherova: The Youngest Champion"
1024:. International Gymnast. Archived from
728:"Female gymnasts: older—and healthier?"
633:"Vera Čáslavská: The heroine of Mexico"
571:
361:): Kim, the 1991 World Champion on the
148:University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
1515:"Whatever happened to Olga Bicherova?"
1448:"Whatever happened to Lavinia Agache?"
1415:Clarey, Christopher (April 19, 1996).
1372:from the original on December 10, 2008
1246:
1244:
1196:. ProSport. 2002-06-30. Archived from
923:from the original on 1 September 2008.
754:
752:
750:
748:
746:
700:
698:
696:
583:"Within the International Federations"
38:Gymnastics all-around champions by age
1654:. Associated Press. November 5, 2010.
1470:"Former Romanian Star Pities Raducan"
1055:Xinhua News Service, December 4, 2007
852:"Is Gymnastics Right for Your Child?"
517:2008 Beijing Olympics age controversy
273:Age falsification is the practice of
237:Response from coaches and federations
146:, a sports medicine physician at the
85:was sixteen at her first Olympics in
7:
1537:"Romanian gymnasts 'lied about age'"
787:"China gymnast underage, AP alleges"
142:On the one hand, proponents such as
1704:from the original on 22 August 2008
1628:Turner, Amanda (October 14, 2010).
1476:. December 23, 2000. Archived from
1397:from the original on 5 October 2008
1391:"Row over ages of winning gymnasts"
1230:from the original on 15 August 2008
1194:"Daniela Silivas discusses her age"
1151:from the original on 19 August 2008
1002:from the original on 28 August 2008
975:The New England Journal of Medicine
635:. International Olympic Committee.
531:the age of four Chinese gymnasts –
1583:Aksyonov, Yevgeniy (May 7, 1998).
1393:. BBC/CBBC Newsround. 2008-08-22.
1094:. Associated Press. Archived from
817:"Making Gymnastics Safer for Kids"
738:The Physician and Sports Medicine,
70:while pregnant with her daughter.
14:
1781:Macur, Juliet (October 1, 2008).
1692:Hutcheon, Stephen (2008-08-22).
1020:Turner, Amanda (June 19, 2008).
639:from the original on 3 July 2008
1783:"Ruling Backs Chinese Gymnasts"
1736:from the original on 2009-09-07
1565:from the original on 2008-07-15
858:from the original on 2008-12-01
682:from the original on 2008-08-21
553:International Olympic Committee
549:United States Olympic Committee
249:, have heavily criticized it.
96:, who legally competed in the
18:age requirements in gymnastics
1:
968:Dresler, C. M. (1997-01-09).
705:"Rift Over Underage Gymnasts"
310:Reasons for age falsification
1808:Macur, Juliet (2008-08-24).
1760:International Herald Tribune
1722:Kent, Jo Ling (2008-08-22).
1665:Macur, Juliet (2008-08-09).
1293:"Gymnastic Girls, Not Women"
1125:Jere Longman, Juliet Macur.
1090:Armour, Nancy (2008-08-02).
943:Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
879:Klenerman, L. (1994-06-11).
854:. Family Education Network.
768:BBC News/Europe, May 2, 2002
134:Reasons for age restrictions
1851:Age controversies in sports
1218:Pucin, Diane (2008-08-10).
1139:Harris, Nick (2008-08-19).
1022:"Ageless Chusovitina Turns"
988:10.1056/nejm199701093360216
785:Stefano, Dan (2008-08-15).
617:"Legends: Larissa Latynina"
477:, where she resides in the
1867:
1421:International Herald Times
947:. Garden City: Doubleday.
815:Park, Alice (2008-04-08).
520:
491:People's Republic of China
421:): Gogean competed in the
385:): Agache competed at the
212:competitions, such as the
35:
1698:The Sydney Morning Herald
1262:Colorado Springs Gazette,
1174:The Secrets of a Gymnast.
1066:"Gymnast Age Limitations"
899:10.1136/bmj.308.6943.1556
791:Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
740:Vol. 23 No. 3, March 1997
551:executive Jim Scherr and
479:Atlanta metropolitan area
459:1985 World Championships
439:1995 World Championships
409:later in the same year.
407:1981 World Championships
387:1981 World Championships
367:1989 World Championships
275:advancing gymnasts' ages
224:Verification procedures
105:, who was named to the
20:are established by the
620:International Gymnast,
1634:International Gymnast
1474:International Gymnast
1458:on November 11, 2010.
1176:Norescu, Andrei, 2006
391:International Gymnast
332:] and mentally."
827:on 17 September 2008
529:2008 Summer Olympics
499:2008 Summer Olympics
495:2000 Summer Olympics
177:1992 Summer Olympics
173:2020 Summer Olympics
83:Ludmilla Tourischeva
1127:The New York Times,
939:Ryan, Joan (1995).
716:The New York Times,
430:Alexandra Marinescu
158:Current regulations
1815:The New York Times
1788:The New York Times
1672:The New York Times
1611:Sports Illustrated
1541:Sports Illustrated
1366:The New York Times
1296:The New York Times
1279:2008-08-19 at the
1264:September 14, 2000
1256:2008-08-18 at the
1051:2008-09-15 at the
764:2008-08-28 at the
733:2008-08-17 at the
710:2008-09-13 at the
662:2008-06-03 at the
443:1996 Olympic Games
393:magazine in 2000.
324:The New York Times
169:Oksana Chusovitina
62:, the first great
1519:Gymnastics Greats
1452:Gymnastics Greats
1224:Los Angeles Times
954:978-0-385-47790-1
850:Hutton, Lindsay.
269:Age falsification
1858:
1826:
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1689:
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1662:
1656:
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1642:
1641:
1636:. Archived from
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1596:
1580:
1574:
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1555:
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1521:. Archived from
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1505:
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1499:. Archived from
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1454:. Archived from
1444:
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1423:. Archived from
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1298:, August 1, 1989
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1017:
1011:
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1008:
1007:
965:
959:
958:
946:
936:
925:
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910:
893:(6943): 1556–9.
876:
867:
866:
864:
863:
847:
836:
835:
833:
832:
823:. Archived from
812:
806:
805:
803:
802:
793:. Archived from
782:
769:
756:
741:
725:
719:
718:December 7, 1981
702:
691:
690:
688:
687:
672:
666:
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648:
647:
645:
644:
629:
623:
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608:
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605:
604:
598:
587:
579:
450:Olga Mostepanova
218:All-Africa Games
203:Legal exceptions
122:
121:
117:
114:
1866:
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139:competitions.
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1316:Gina Gogean
541:Deng Linlin
527:During the
511:North Korea
414:Gina Gogean
363:uneven bars
359:North Korea
183:Terminology
1846:Gymnastics
1835:Categories
1821:2008-10-06
1794:2008-10-01
1767:2008-10-06
1740:2008-10-06
1708:2008-08-22
1678:2008-10-06
1569:2008-07-01
1401:2008-08-26
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1234:2008-08-16
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686:2008-07-01
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567:References
559:, and the
555:president
545:Yang Yilin
521:See also:
320:Nellie Kim
36:See also:
1343:USA Today
187:The term
42:Prior to
1734:Archived
1729:ABC News
1702:Archived
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