The storming debate about whether three Chinese gymnasts are underage cast a shadow on China's victory in the team finals and on He Kexin's gold medal finish on uneven bars. The International Gymnastics Federation president, Bruno Grandi, repeatedly has said China's He, Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan meet the minimum age requirement of 16 based on their passports. The New York Times and Associated Press have found contradicting evidence showing the gymnasts are younger.

Earlier this year, the federation adopted a long-discussed plan to issue licenses next year to gymnasts who compete internationally, including gymnasts in the junior division, a steppingstone to reach the Olympic level. Federation officials believe this will diminish the possibility of passport manipulation.

"We (will) follow the athlete longer in their career," Grandi said recently. "We follow (ages) already. For us, it's not enough. It's true. It's better to have one document. We've had many difficulties to solve this problem."

USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny has stayed out of the age debate since it surfaced in late July but said issuing international licenses is a good start to head off such problems.

"It's probably a smart thing," Penny said. "It would help eliminate questions and speculation."

There are some who disagree. Eberhard Ginger, vice president of the German Olympic Committee and a famous former gymnast, believes licenses might not prevent the manipulation of ages because a passport still will be used to confirm ages when issuing the cards.

"What if you're cheating from the very beginning?" he asked. "Probably you need to do analysis from hair. That might be better than licensing."

Ginger doesn't believe the Chinese are lying about gymnasts' ages. "We have many young-looking girls. I can't imagine they're falsifying passports. This is something a government wouldn't do to win a medal."

U.S. gymnasts have been complimentary of the Chinese and have steered clear of the drama over ages. Johnson said she feels a kinship with Chinese gymnasts. Her coach, Liang Chow, competed for China's national teams, and Johnson said she has grown up admiring Chinese teams.

Liukin came in as a veteran of international competitions despite not having Olympic experience (she missed the 2004 age cutoff by two months). She has competed in three world championships, winning nine world medals to tie Miller for most by an American gymnast. Liukin might stay for another year and try to break that record in the 2009 world championships.