I will be surprised if the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) investigation into the ages of China’s female gymnasts results in stripping them of their medals. Short of an admission by the Chinese government, the production of a Chinese official that claims he or she acted alone, or other hard evidence that documents were falsified, the FIG is not likely to sanction such action. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, and despite the fact that China won more gold medals than any other country, the controversy has tarnished China's Olympic triumph.

Throughout the women’s gymnastics competition in Beijing, the ages of He Kexin, Yang Yilin, and Jiang Yuyuan were the subject of controversy. Young Chinese girls are petite, but He Kexin, in particular, appeared to be barely past puberty. Nevertheless, the girls’ passports and national identity cards issued by the Chinese government state that all three had reached the age of 16 in the year of the Olympics.

Earlier this month, however, the Associated Press (AP) “found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China showing that both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan.1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.”

Nadia Comăneci was 14 when she scored a perfect ten at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Fourteen-year-olds were eligible then.

Age falsification became a problem in women’s gymnastics in the 1980s, when the minimum age was first raised from 14 to 15. The North Korean government falsified gymnast Kim Gwang Suk’s age in the 1992 Olympic Games. Kim, whose age was listed as 15 for three years in a row, was allowed to keep her medals, but the FIG banned the North Korean women's gymnastics team from the 1993 World Championships. The current age minimum of 16 was established in 1997. The changes were intended to protect young athletes from serious injuries.

It’s well established that younger girls have an easier time at gymnastics. Their bones are more flexible and they weigh less, making it easier for them to perform many of the skills that so impress the judges. “They also aren't as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure,” according to an AP Olympics columnist. But the issue here is not whether the Chinese girls had an unfair advantage but whether they were eligible to compete.

Assuming the Chinese government is innocent until proven guilty, a concept not found in Chinese law, you can understand why people are suspicious. The Communist government is not known for its honesty and transparency. And in any authoritarian state, falsifying passports or any other official document is simply a matter of someone with sufficient authority giving the order to do so.

FIG officials requested additional documents from the Chinese government to assist them in their investigation, and the Chinese provided them, including the girls' birth certificates. The FIG has not indicated how they plan to determine if they are true originals.

China, from the beginning, has been determined to win more gold medals than the United States, and they wanted to make sure that the athletes with the best possible chance of winning competed in the Games. As any detective would phrase it, they had motive and opportunity to provide the girls with false documents.

This is not unlike the situation that existed prior to the 1970s, when self-financed Western athletes were competing with state-sponsored amateurs from countries like the Soviet Union and China. The rules were the same for everyone. Communist bloc countries, however, could ensure that their athletes maintained their amateur qualification as long as they could keep winning gold medals. The question wasn’t whether Eastern bloc athletes had an unfair advantage; it was whether they were truly amateurs and eligible to compete.

Each ruling sports federation determines who’s eligible, and the rules for each sport have evolved over time. Today no professionals compete in boxing and professionals over 23 years of age in soccer are limited to three per team. Professionals compete in all other sports. The American basketball team that includes top NBA professionals just won the gold medal in Beijing.

As an American, of course I want to see US athletes win. I came out of my chair on more than one occasion watching the USA women gymnasts compete, especially when I believed the judges' scoring favored the Chinese. Nevertheless, as someone who has lived and worked in China, I have affection for the Chinese people and feel sorry for He and her teammates. None of this is of their doing. It’s not like they were 30-year-old baseball players taking steroids.

If the girls' documents were falsified, the Communist Party hierarchy was behind it. It decided that winning gold medals was more important than following the rules. Recall the politburo official who decided the eight-year-old girl who sang at the opening ceremony wasn’t pretty enough to appear on camera. That wasn’t violating the rules, just bad judgment. China had motive, opportunity, and a record of deception.

Regardless of how this investigation comes out, questions about the female Chinese gymnasts' ages will follow He Kexin and her teammates all their lives. That’s unfortunate. The Beijing Olympics was supposed to be about the new China, not the old one.