Below, you’ll find stories of gymnasts who competed under birthdates that differ from their actual birthdates. As my research continues, this collection will expand. This is not—and cannot be—a definitive list of all gymnasts affected by age falsification. Many cases remain undocumented, and others may never come to light.
As you read these accounts, remember the words of Olga Mostepanova, who put it better than I ever could: “Honestly, I never thought about the importance of age changing. Little kids didn’t play this adult game.” The decisions to alter birthdates were made by adults in positions of power—coaches, federation officials, government bureaucrats—not by the gymnasts themselves.
Why Document These Stories?
First, I don’t believe gymnastics fans fully understand how pervasive this problem was across multiple countries and decades. These weren’t isolated incidents; they were systematic practices embedded in national sports programs.
Second, the birthdate is the starting place for every life story. It’s the first line in every biography, the foundation upon which all other facts rest. When that date is falsified, everything that follows—competition ages, career timelines, historical context—is built on a fiction. These gymnasts were born in the twentieth century, not antiquity. We should not be debating the birthdates of Gina Gogean or Olga Mostepanova in the way historians debate Shakespeare’s birth.
When these athletes die, journalists writing their obituaries will turn to the internet to verify basic biographical facts. If the historical record is never corrected, obituaries around the world will perpetuate these falsified dates, compounding the original injustice and ensuring that even in death, these athletes cannot reclaim their true identities.
This isn’t a hypothetical concern; it has already happened. When Elena Shushunova passed away in 2018, the International Gymnastics Federation listed her birthdate as April 23, 1969, in their official tribute. Her gravestone reads May 23, 1969. Even in memorializing one of the sport’s greatest champions, the confusion about her birthdate persisted.
Share Your Story
For some former gymnasts, the issue poses a more personal question: when the record finally closes, where should their story begin—with the year they were born, or with the year the state assigned to them?
If you are a gymnast who competed under an altered birthdate and would like to share your story or correct the record, please contact me at info@gymnastics-history.com.
Bulgaria
Boriana Stoyanova
Born November 3, 1969, but she competed using a July 3, 1968 birthdate.
Hrabrina Hrabrova
Born in 1972, but she competed using a 1973 birthdate.
China
Li Yuejiu
Competed using a November 1957 birthdate, but he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame under a July 1957 birthdate.
Romania
Mihaela Stănuleț
Born in 1967, but she competed using a 1966 birthdate.
Cristina Grigoraș
Born in 1968, but competed using a 1966 birthdate.
Lavinia Agache
Born in 1968, but she competed using a 1966 birthdate.
Ecaterina Szabó
Born in 1968, but she competed using a 1967 birthdate.
You can read Szabó’s own reflections on her career here.
Celestina Popa
Born in 1970, but she competed using a 1970 birthdate.
Eugenia Golea
Born in 1971, but she competed using a 1969 birthdate.
Daniela Silivaș
Born in 1972, but she competed using a 1970 birthdate.
Gina Gogean
Her birth certificate reportedly says 1978, but she competed with a 1977 birthdate.
Alexandra Marinescu
Born in 1982, but she competed using a 1981 passport.
Monica Zahiu
The April 18, 2002 edition of ProSport confirmed that her birthdate was actually November 3, 1983—not November 3, 1982, the date used for competition.
Soviet Union
Olga Bicherova
Born in 1967, but she competed using a 1966 birthdate.
Natalia Ilienko
Born in 1967, but she competed using a 1966 birthdate.
Tatiana Frolova
Born in 1967, but she competed using a 1966 birthdate.
Valentina Shkoda
Born in 1969, but she competed using a 1968 birthdate.
Olga Mostepanova
Born in 1969, but she competed using a 1968 birthdate.
You can read an International Gymnast interview with Mostepanova here.
Additional Articles
1970: Setting the Age Limit at 14
1980: Setting the Age Limit at 15
1978: Doping Allegations at the World Championships
Doping and questions of age went hand-in-hand during the Cold War.
1981: The IOC’s Medical Commission Addresses Questions of Age
Yes, concerns about age went all the way to the IOC after the 1981 World Championships, where several gymnasts competed under falsified birthdates.
1994: “I Don’t Care at All Whether Documents Are Falsified.”
That’s how the chairman of the FIG’s Medical Commission felt about age falsification.
2002: How Romania Broke the Age Rules and Why the FIG Looked Away
Reminder: This page will be updated as I continue writing about these gymnasts. Athletes such as Kim Gwang Suk are not included yet because I have not written about them in detail.