LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — North Korea’s gymnasts have been suspended from the world championships starting next week because one team member’s age had been falsified.
The International Gymnastics Federation said North Korea’s federation and gymnast Hong Su Jong were provisionally suspended for 30 days, ruling them out of the worlds, being held Oct. 16-24 in Rotterdam, and any other international or national event.
The North Koreans can appeal to the FIG within five days.
The FIG’s disciplinary commission met Wednesday and noted that Hong’s entry for the worlds had her birth date as March 9, 1989, whereas she competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics using a birth year of 1985, and at the 2007 worlds using 1986.
