At the 1998 Asian Games, the ages of the North Korean gymnasts were questioned, largely because they appeared unusually young. Organizers reviewed their passports, and in the end, the North Korean gymnasts were deemed age-eligible, though Chinese coverage still raised the possibility that the passports themselves had been altered.
In the history of age falsification, this episode is revealing for a different reason, as well. In controversies surrounding Chinese gymnasts, one common defense has been to invoke racial generalizations—that athletes of Asian descent tend to look younger than their actual age. But this case complicates that argument. The skepticism did not come from Western observers projecting assumptions onto Asian bodies, but from within Asia itself, with one group questioning whether another Asian team’s gymnasts appeared overly young.
Below are Chinese, Korean, and English accounts of the incident.
China’s View
Sidelights: The Youth Asian Games
Sina Sports, December 18, 1998 — Reporter Si An
Sina Sports reporter Si An reports: This Bangkok Asian Games could fairly be called the “Youth Asian Games,” as the proportion of young competitors was noticeably higher than at previous editions. According to statistics compiled by the organizing committee, the youngest competitor at the Bangkok Asian Games was Qatar’s male table tennis player Al-Hamadi, born in 1987 and only 11 years old this year.
The Qatar delegation also included three 12-year-old athletes: table tennis players Al-Muhammad and Al-Sulahhati, and swimmer Al-Azizag.
In addition, Kuwait table tennis player Al-Hassan and Macau swimmer Cheng Wenlong were also just 12 years old. Athletes aged 13 were even more numerous, numbering over ten in all, including Chinese Taipei swimmer Guan Jiaxian, South Korean diver Lee Miseon, and Yemeni table tennis players Al-Hamadiya and Al-Hasadi.
The Asian Games Charter stipulates that each individual sport sets its own minimum age requirements. The youngest minimum age is 15, for sepak takraw; gymnastics requires sixteen; judo requires eighteen. Swimming and table tennis, however, have no age restrictions, which is why young competitors are especially prevalent in those sports.
The organizing committee raised questions during the gymnastics competition about whether the female gymnasts from North Korea had in fact reached the age of sixteen — a challenge based on the International Gymnastics Federation’s age eligibility rules.
The matter was settled after the North Korean athletes’ passports were verified, since most of the North Korean female gymnasts turned out to be exactly sixteen years old. As for whether the North Korean authorities had altered their passports, that remains unknown.
花絮：少年亚运会
1998年12月18日 16:27 新浪体育记者思安
新浪体育记者思安报道，这届曼谷亚运会堪称“少年亚运会”，因为参加的选手中少年选手比以往各届明显增多，据大会组委会统计，曼谷亚运会参赛选手中年纪最小的是卡塔尔男乒球员阿尔.哈麦帝，是87年出生的今年仅��11岁的小将。
卡塔尔代表团中还有三名12岁的选手，为乒乓球的阿尔.穆哈默德，阿尔.苏拉哈替和游泳的阿尔埃济格。
此外，科威特的乒乓球球员阿尔. 哈桑和澳门游泳队的成文龙也仅有12岁，13岁的球员更多，包括中华台北队游泳的官佳娴和韩国跳水队的李美仙、也门乒乓球队的阿尔.哈马地亚和阿尔.哈塞地，共有十多名。
亚运宪章中规定，各个单项自行规定参赛年龄，年龄限制最小的是15岁的藤球，体操是十六岁，柔道是十八岁。但游泳和乒乓球赛没有年龄限制，所以少年选手特别多。
大会组委会在体操比赛中质疑北朝鲜女体操选手的年龄没有超过十六岁，便是根据国际体操联盟的年龄限制规定。
此事经核实北朝鲜选手的护照后平息，因为大部分北朝鲜女选手正好都刚是十六岁，至于北朝鲜当局有没有改动过她们的护照，就不得而知了。
Note: Ling Jie and Xu Jing both competed at the 1998 Asian Games even though they were underage.
South Korea’s View
Age limits vary by sport
Dong-A Ilbo, December 16, 1998, C2, Reporter Bae Geuk-in
The North Korean gymnastics delegation competing at the Bangkok Asian Games recently suffered the indignity of having some of its athletes’ passports examined on the grounds that certain competitors appeared too young. This is because the Asian Games sets age-limit regulations that vary by sport.In gymnastics, participation ages are restricted to 16 and above for artistic gymnastics and 15 and above for rhythmic gymnastics, in order to prevent child abuse through excessive training. For this reason, South Korea’s Choi Ye-rim (Jeongsin Girls’ Middle School), who competed in rhythmic gymnastics, only barely qualified — she turned exactly 15 on July 1st.
Sepak takraw and judo, given their high injury risk, require competitors to be at least 15 and 18 respectively. Boxing, being a physically rough sport, likewise restricts participation to athletes aged 17 to 34, categorically blocking both very young and older competitors.
By contrast, swimming, table tennis, and other remaining sports have no age restrictions. Qatar entered its youngest competitor, Ar-Rahman (11), along with Nasser and Jasim (both 12), in table tennis, and also fielded youngsters including the 12-year-old Ammar in freestyle swimming.
Kuwait and Macau likewise sent 12-year-olds — Ibrahim (table tennis) and Cheng Wem-lom (swimming) respectively. South Korea’s youngest competitor was diver Lee Mi-seon (Hanyang Girls’ Middle School), aged 13 this year.
종목별 나이제한 각각
방콕아시아경기에 참가한 북한체조대표팀은 얼마전 일부 선수가 너무 어려보인다는 이유로 여권 조사를 받는 등 곤욕을 치렀다. 아시아 경기는 각 종목에 따라 선수들의 나이 제한 규정을 두고 있기 때문.
체조의 경우 과도한 훈련으로인한 아동 학대를 방지하기 위해참가 연령을 기계체조 16세, 리듬체조 15세이상으로 제한하고있다. 이 때문에 리듬체조에 출전한 한국의 최예림(정신여중)은 7월1일 만 15세가 돼 겨우 출전자격을 얻었다.
세팍타크로와 유도는 부상 위험이 높은 만큼 각각 15세, 18세가 되어야 출전이 가능하다. 또경기가 거친 복싱 역시 17세에서 34세까지로 나이 제한을 둬 어린선수나 고령 선수들의 참가를 원천봉쇄하고 있다.
반면 수영과 탁구 등 나머지종목은 나이에 구애받지 않는다. 카타르는 대회 최연소 선수인 아라흐만(11세)과 나세르, 자심(이상 12세)을 탁구에 출전시켰고 수영 자유형에도 역시 12세인 암마르 등 꼬마무들을 내보냈다.
쿠웨이트와 마카오도 각각 12세의 이브라힘(탁구)과 청웸롬(수영)을 파견했다. 한국의 최연소선수는 다이빙의 이미선(한양여중)으로 올해 13세. 〈배극인기자〉
English-Language Coverage
North Korea investigated over under-age gymnasts
The North Koreans came under investigation at the Asian Games in Bangkok yesterday after rival teams accused them of entering under-age girls in the gymnastics.
A Games gymnastics official said there had been complaints that some members of the North Korean women’s artistic gymnastics team appeared to be as young as 11, well below the minimum age limit of 16.
“We want to resolve this issue as soon as possible; I will be contacting the North Korean National Olympic Committee today,” said Amnat Ano, an official of the Games technical committee responsible for the investigation.
Suebsai Boonveerabut, vice-president of the Thai gymnastics association, said: “We have asked the technical committee to double-check the passports of the North Korean gymnasts.”
Age limits on competitors have been introduced only recently. The Romanian Nadia Comaneci was 14 when she scored seven perfect 10s and won three gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The Guardian, December 10, page 31
From the United States:
Gymnasts cleared at Asian Games
BANGKOK, Thailand — North Korea’s female gymnasts were cleared to continue at the Asian Games Wednesday when their passports showed they were old enough to compete.
The gymnasts were ordered to present their passports to verify if they were 16 years or older after coaches from rival teams, as well as doctors and officials, questioned the girls’ ages.
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, said: “The passports say they are 16 years old. That’s all we can do.”
Organizers called for the passport inspection after an official from the Asian Gymnastics Union questioned the age of the female gymnasts.
“She said I think we better check because their faces look very young. They don’t look 16,” said Suebsai Boonveerabut, the competition organizer.
In the gymnastics competition, China swept the men’s and women’s all-around gold medal and took three of five golds in swimming with the other two going to Japan.
St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri, USA), December 10, 1998, C3
One might assume that passport checks were routine at international competitions, but these reports suggest a more reactive process. Documents appear to have been scrutinized only after the gymnasts’ youthful appearances drew attention.
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