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Olympics Notebook: Karolyi Charges Chinese With Flouting Age Rules

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A Tribune wire report

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 11, 2008

Updated: 08/11/2008 12:11 am

BEIJING - Bela Karolyi is doing NBC television commentary for gymnastics, and even as he cheered on the U.S. women from his perch just above where the balance beam is located at the National Indoor Stadium, he also kept simmering over what he believes is China's "blatant" flouting of the sport's age rules.

According to the international federation rules, Olympic and world championship competitors must turn 16 during the year they participate. The two Chinese women who have qualified for the individual all-around - Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan - were named in several news reports as having birth dates on provincial registration lists in 1993 and 1994, respectively. According to passport information submitted to become Olympics eligible, they are now 16.

After China outscored the U.S. in team qualifications, Karolyi said the Chinese team is using "half-people" and that China is arrogant.

"These people think we are stupid," Karolyi said.

International federation officials have reiterated over the last two weeks that it is not their job to investigate "Internet" reports or challenge the passport information submitted by a federation.

"We are in the business of gymnastics," Karolyi said. "We know what a kid of 14 or 15 or 16 looks like. What kind of slap in the face is this? They are 12, 14 years old and they get lined up and the government backs them and the federation runs away. There is an age limit and it can't be controlled."

Top-Seeded Ivanovic Withdraws With Right Hand Injury

Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic withdrew from Olympic tennis Sunday because of inflammation in her right hand that has bothered her for several weeks.

Ivanovic said she hasn't been able to practice because of the injury, which began to bother her last month. She was expected to play her first-round match for Serbia today, but after consulting with a doctor, she said she needs more rest.

"It's one of the hardest moments in my career," Ivanovic said. "I'm very, very disappointed."

Ivanovic said the injury may take two weeks to heal, and she still hopes to play in the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 25.

She was already assured of losing the top spot in the women's rankings today to No. 2 Jelena Jankovic. Ivanovic has led the rankings since June 9, the day after winning the French Open.

U.S. Sprinter Gay Resumes Training

U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay returned to the track to test his leg in preparation for the 100 meters. Gay suffered a strained tendon July 5 in the 200 quarterfinals at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Gay did nine sets of warm-up strides in regular running shoes, then put on spikes for a workout set of a hard 60 meters, a hard 80 and finally a hard 100.

"I've been looking for an indicator to let me know where I'm going to be at, and I think today let me know," Gay told the half-dozen reporters watching the workout.

After Sunday's workout, Gay estimated he was at about 85 percent of his level at the Olympic trials, where he ran a U.S. record of 9.77 in the semifinals and a wind-aided 9.68 in the final, the fastest a man ever has covered 100 meters on foot.

"I'm happy with today's workout - injury free, no pain," Gay said.

Rain Showers Bring Relief From Heat But Not Haze Briefly

The rain came and the heat went, but the haze remained Sunday at the Beijing Olympics.

Temperatures averaged a cooler 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) - down from highs of 34C and 93F over the past two days - and officials were hopeful the dirty-white blanket that has enveloped the city would give way to cleaner, clearer skies.

"I think the blue skies will come, especially after Sunday's rain," said Wang Wei, executive vice president of the Beijing organizing committee. "I have my fingers crossed."

The rain was predicted to last over the next few days, and officials hoped that would wash away the pollutants that have been accumulating in the windless, muggy weather of recent days. The city's air monitors again showed moderate pollution, with an official index of 82 - similar to the previous day, but calculated using the 24 hours before noon Sunday. Today's figures are expected to show a decline.

"Today is raining and tomorrow will have rain, too. That will help reduce the air pollution level. We believe the current air flow will be helpful in the dispersion of pollutants in the air," said Wang Jianjie, deputy director of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.

But while rain might help the air, it could mar China's long-awaited debut on the world stage.

Meteorological officials claimed Sunday that they had succeeded in warding off thundershowers from the opening ceremony by firing more than 1,000 "rain-dispersal" rockets in the largest operation of its kind in the country.

China has been experimenting with weather modification for decades, using a technique known as cloud-seeding to induce rainfall, though international scientists say there has never been proof that such methods produce results.

A total of 1,110 rockets loaded with silver iodide were launched from the Beijing area and Hebei province, said Zhang Qiang, deputy director of Beijing's Artificial Weather Modification Office. The idea was to "seed" the clouds to induce rain before it reached the National Stadium, and Chinese officials said it worked.

Thailand's Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon set an Olympic record - for amount of weight lifted in the women's 117-pound class, not for the number of letters in her name, although that might be up there, too. Her haul was 486.2 pounds. The winner came up with her long name last year, after a fortune teller suggested a name change for better luck. The 21-letter surname, which was only "J" on the scoreboard, means "prosperous." The first name roughly translates to "good girl," said Boosaba Yodbangtoey, the president of the Thai weightlifting federation. ... The IOC kicked out Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, saying her role in a drug-testing coverup four years ago in Athens was "a scandalous saga."

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