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CHICAGO – China is covering new questions about the ages of whatever of its athletes after discrepancies were institute in the birthdates of eight amount skaters.

According to a itemize of birthdates published on the Asiatic Skating Association's website and institute by The Associated Press, the skaters violated the sport's geezerhood limits by competing when they were either likewise teen or likewise old. The birthdates on the federation's websites dissent from those listed on the athletes' International Skating Union bios.

Among the skaters whose eligibility is in question are Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, the 2006 athletics pairs grayness medalists, and Sui Wenjing and dynasty Cong, the powerful lowly concern champions and China's crowning up-and-coming pairs team.

The discovery comes less than a assemblage after the IOC stripped China of its 2000 athletics discolour ribbon in women's aggroup athletics for using an underage girl. That ravishment was uncovered during an enquiry into geezerhood fraud by China's aggroup that won the gold ribbon at the Peiping Games. The 2008 aggroup after was cleared after Asiatic officials provided example passports, ID game and kinsfolk registers display every the gymnasts were older sufficiency to compete.

According to ISU rules, skaters must be 15 by the foregoing July 1 to contend at an athletics or grownup concern championships, and 14 for another senior-level international competitions, such as the Grand Prix final. Junior skaters must be at small 13 the preceding July 1 but cannot hit overturned 19 (singles) or 21 (pairs and cover dancers).

According to the records institute by the AP on the federation website, Zhang Dan was dropped Oct. 4, 1987, meaning she would hit been exclusive 14 when she and Zhang Hao — no traffic — competed at the 2002 athletics and concern championships. The Zhangs were 11th in Salt Lake City and ninth at worlds.

Zhang Hao, meanwhile, was dropped on Feb. 6, 1982, according to his birthdate on the federation website. That would hit made him likewise older to contend at the 2003 lowly concern championships, which they won.

The Zhangs went on to get the grayness ribbon at the Turin Games and silvers at the 2006, 2008 and 2009 concern championships.

The ISU is aware of the discrepancies and has asked the Asiatic federation for more information, ISU spokeswoman Selina Vanier said Monday.

"At the moment, we hit no interpret because we're disagreeable to find discover where those lists are, who created them, etc.," Vanier said. "Once we hit that information, then we'll hit more information."

The Asiatic Skating Association and the General Administration of Sport of China did not immediately move to requests for interpret from The Associated Press, but Yang Dong, director of the amount skating division of China's Winter Sports Administrative Center, told the official Xinhua News Agency that he was aware of the allegations.

"We'll constituent no efforts on probing it," Xinhua quoted Yang as saying.

The itemize posted on the Asiatic association's website had disappeared by Tuesday.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said he was not aware of the discrepancies, but planned to ask his staff about them.

"Definitely, if there is a difference it must be solved," Rogge said weekday in Prague. "We had the status with athletics where sanctions were taken when the actuality emerged. I can say that in this case, which I don't undergo in detail, definitely, we would propose both parties to come up with the actuality and then decisions module be taken. As I said I module check with my sports department."

China's crowning up-and-coming pairs aggroup of Sui and dynasty are thoughtful to be the heirs apparent to athletics gold medalists Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, success the lowly concern title terminal assemblage and medaling at every of their grownup Grand Prix events this year, including attractive the discolour at the Grand Prix final. According to the itemize of birthdates on the federation website, however, Sui and dynasty should not hit been competing at some of those events and also are disqualified for this year's lowly concern championships, which begin Feb. 28 in South Korea.

Sui was dropped on May 7, 1997, according to the federation website, making her meet 13. That would mean she was likewise teen for both terminal year's lowly concern championships, where she and dynasty were first, and this year's grownup Grand Prix series. Han, meanwhile, has a March 1989 date on the federation's list, making him 21.

Yu Xiaoyu and Yang Jin, the another Asiatic unify entered for the lowly concern championships, strength not be eligible, either. Yu was dropped on Jan. 2, 1998, according to the federation website, making her exclusive 12 on the July 1 route for this season. Yet she and Yang competed on the lowly Grand Prix circuit, success in metropolis and attractive home bronzes from metropolis and the lowly Grand Prix final.

The another discrepancies were:

• Male pairs skater, Gao Yu, competed in the lowly Grand Prix events this flavour though he has a July 10, 1988, birthdate.

• Female singles skaters Geng Bingwa, who is scheduled to contend at Four Continents after this week, was dropped on March 3, 1995, but competed at the 2008 lowly concern championships, closing 21st.

• Females azygos skater Xu Binshu was dropped on July 29, 1990, and competed at the 2003 lowly worlds, where she was seventh.

Figure skating imposed geezerhood limits in 1996 to protect teen athletes from earnest injuries. Pair teams, in particular, do high-risk elements including intercommunicate jumps, lifts and twists, where the female skater is tossed above her partner's head.

The ISU has been strict with its geezerhood limits, refusing to bow to push when budding star Mao Asada uncomprehensible the route for the Turin athletics by 87 days. Asada, who the grayness linksman terminal assemblage in Vancouver, had won the Grand Prix test that year, fighting powerful concern endorse Irina Slutskaya.

The United States had to beam its fifth- and seventh-place finishers to the 2008 concern championships because U.S. masticate Mirai Nagasu and runner-up Rachael Flatt were likewise young. Flatt had overturned 15 the preceding July 21, meaning she uncomprehensible the route by meet three weeks. The pairs champions that year, Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, uncomprehensible discover on both the lowly and grownup concern championships because, having not overturned 15 until September, she was likewise teen for grownup worlds and, at 21, he was likewise older for lowly worlds.

And Russia's underway women's domestic champion, Adelina Sotnikova, won't be at this year's concern championships because she is exclusive 14.

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AP Sports Writers Stephen Wilson in author and Stephen Wade in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Associated Press Writer Karel Janicek in Prague and Associated Press scientist Yu Bing in Peiping contributed to this report.

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