Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

The gymnastics competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics featured three disciplines: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline. Artistic gymnastics took place at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium from August 9–19, rhythmic gymnastics at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium from August 21–24, and trampoline also at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium from August 16–19. A Champions Gala was held on August 20 at the National Indoor Stadium, featuring Olympic medalists and exhibition routines from artistic gymnastics and trampoline.

Reader's Guide

The 2008 Olympic gymnastics events were marked by an age controversy involving Chinese gymnast He Kexin. On August 21, 2008, the IOC instructed the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to investigate allegations that He was underaged, as FIG requires gymnasts to be at least 16 in the Olympic calendar year. An American blogger reported a cached Excel spreadsheet showing He's birthday as January 1, 1994, suggesting she was 14. Earlier reports from The New York Times and other bloggers cited news stories and photo captions from 2007 and early 2008, including state-run Xinhua news service, that listed He's age as 13. On October 1, 2008, the FIG ended its investigation, concluding that He and her teammates were old enough to compete, though some media outlets voiced doubts. Separately, in 2014, North Korean gymnast Cha Yong-hwa faced a disciplinary hearing for using a false passport to falsify her age; the FIG withdrew her license and nullified all her results, including those from the 2008 Olympics.

Did You Know?

• Rhythmic gymnastics events were held at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium on August 21–24.
• The FIG investigated Chinese gymnast He Kexin for age discrepancies and cleared her on October 1, 2008.