Bela Karolyi On The Olympic Gymnastics Scandal: The Truth Is In The Teeth

The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into the age of Chinese gymnast He Kexin, who could be stripped of her two gold medals if she is in fact 14, instead of the required 16 years of age.

According to U.S. Gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, the truth is in the teeth.

“You don’t have to be an expert, just look at them,” Karolyi told Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson. “Let them smile and you can see! The little baby [teeth] are in their mouth.”

“They’ve done something which is very, very much against the decency of the Olympic spirit,” he added.

It’s not the fault of the young gymnasts themselves, Karolyi told Shaun. Instead, he said the adults who may have doctored birthdates should be held responsible.

“If you want to look in somebody’s mouth, you have to look in the mouth of those ones that put them up and falsify their passports,” he said.

What would Kexin’s stripped medals mean for the U.S.? A Gold in the team all-around, and another for Nastia Liukin on the uneven bars, the president of U.S.A. Gymnastics told Access.

“An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition.”

Though he chastised the possible rules violation, Karolyi believes gymnasts peak at different ages and disagrees with the age requirement, which was enacted in 1997 to protect young athletes from serious injuries.

“The little guys are more exciting, as performers as explosiveness,” he said. “The rule of age is bias. It’s discriminating. [They’re] pushing out a very important part of the gymnastics population. Just think about it – Nadia Comenici would never been an Olympic champion. The greatest Olympic gymnast ever in the sport. She wouldn’t be around because she was 13 and a half at the time. So bless her heart.”