LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — North Korea’s gymnastics federation has appealed against a ban on its athletes competing at the world championships which open Saturday, imposed because one team member falsified her age.
The International Gymnastics Federation says its appeal tribunal will rule within the required five-day limit after the challenge was filed on Monday.
The FIG’s 30-day suspension of North Korea and gymnast Hong Su Jong took effect last week after it noted that Hong entered the worlds in Rotterdam using the third different birth date of her career.
Hong listed her birth year as 1989, though she competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics using 1985.
She won a silver medal on vault at the 2007 worlds using 1986.
