But the suspicion is not entirely groundless, the AP notes. "Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed 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." In addition, Time linked to blogger Stryde Hax, who found evidence on the Chinese search engine Baidu that official cached documents listing He's birth date as 01-01-1994 had been deleted.

Below is a clip from this morning's Today show in which Meredith Vieira discusses the hubbub with journalist Alan Abrahamson, who thinks that the Chinese are far too sophisticated and well-versed in gymnastics rules to make the elemental mistake of leaving He's "real age" on a publicly accessible website:

Despite Abrahamson's point about the Chinese sophistication in gymnastics circles, honestly? I think these girls probably are underage, but that the Chinese government will never, ever admit that they forged new documents for He and Yang to allow them to compete. If they bothered to lie in the first place, they're not going to admit the truth, even if the IOC does accuse them of foul play. How can they prove it anyway? Cut these girls open and look for tree rings? As the AP points out, China has falsified documents before, and "Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games." I think we might just have to echo Nastia Liukin's attitude about the entire thing. She said earlier this week about He, "She's an excellent athlete no matter how old she is."

Gymnasts' Parents 'Indignant' Over Age Questions [AP]
Olympic Controversy Update [Time]
Hack The Olympics![Stryde Hax]

"The third tiebreak — hang onto your hats, for your brains are about to explode —was the average of the three lowest of the four counting judges' deductions. This is where Liukin lost," SI reports. Famed coach Bela Karolyi discussing Liukin and the uneven bars on the Today show below, plus the results (spoiler alert!) of the balance beam competition.

Karolyi, obviously, is biased, but his thickly accented outrage on behalf of Liukin in the Today clip above is pretty endearing. And he's not the only one to take issue with the decision, as Sports Illustrated columnist E.M. Swift called the gymnastics judging in Beijing "wildly erratic at best" and says that the scoring system needs an "overhaul."

Nastia, though visibly disappointed, handled the situation with characteristic class. Even when reporters asked her about He Kexin's disputed age (in May she was identified in a Chinese newspaper as being 13, SI says), Nastia responded, "She's an excellent athlete no matter how old she is."

Though the uneven bars were a disappointment for the American team, there is good news for all on the balance beam: Plucky Shawn Johnson finally won her first gold medal of the games, sticking her tricks on the balance beam "as if her feet had glue on them," according to the New York Times. Nastia won yet another silver with a solid performance. Check out Liukin's uneven bars performance here and we will link to Johnson's performance as soon as video is available.

Questionable Scoring, Tiebreaker Cost Liukin Individual Gold Medal [SI]
Johnson Wins Elusive Gold On Balance Beam [NYT]
Gymnastics: Event Finals, Uneven Bars [NBC Olympics]