Bela's own Romanian Federation was accused of the same thing - lying about the gymnast ages so that they could compete in events they were not old enough to compete in - check out this SI article: Romanian gymnasts 'lied about age' -
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/2002/04/18/romania_ap/
1986: FIG raised minimum age for competing in senior level competitions from 14 to 15
1997: from 15 to 16 for children's health
[quote]The gymnasts -- Alexandra Marinescu, Gina Gogean, Monica Zahiu and Daniela Silivas -- claim coaches and gymnastics officials forced them to declare themselves older so they could compete in senior-level world competitions. Romanian officials deny the allegations. [/quote]
Marinescu:
[quote]"The trainers told me to do it. I thought it was strange but I had to obey," she said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I knew there were others (in my situation) but I didn't know which ones."
Now 20 and an aspiring disc jockey, Marinescu said she decided to talk about the lies to protect other young gymnasts.
"They should not be sacrificed for sports," she said.
She quit gymnastics in 1997 because of back problems and has since undergone three spine operations.
"I will have pain all my life," she said, adding she is planning to write a book about her experience. [/quote]
[quote]Gogean, 23, told the daily newspaper Pro-Sport she was only 14 when she won a silver medal at the Barcelona 1992 Atlanta Olympic Games. Silivas, now 29, said she was forced to add two years to her age so that she compete in the 1985 World Championships where she won a gold and a silver.
Zahiu, now 18, had her birth date changed from 1982 to 1983, the paper reported, giving no details. [/quote]
some other proof besides testimonials:
[quote]Pro-Sport reported last week it had obtained Gogean's birth record from the eastern Romanian hospital where she was born. That document says she was born in 1978 -- a year later than the 1977 date listed in her passport. [/quote]
Nicolae Vieru (chairman of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation): denied allegations, said the issue would be investigated.
[quote]"Passports were issued by Romanian authorities whom we trust," Vieru said in a telephone interview. "The federation does not create false passports." [/quote]
bad treatment:
[quote]The allegations come shortly after charges that Romanian gymnastics officials and trainers beat their athletes and deprived girls of food to reduce their weight -- something trainers and officials have denied. [/quote]
