A passport, however, may not be undisputed documentation of a gymnast’s age. Yang Yun won two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Games, in the uneven bars and as a member of the Chinese team. The United States team finished fourth.

Afterward, Yang said on state-run television that she was 14 when she competed at the Games. A Hunan Province sports administration report confirmed that.

“The medal was supposed to be ours, and we should be given it,” said Karolyi, the coach of the 2000 United States team, referring to the bronze medal in the team event. “Now some girls are left crying forever while nothing is done about the cheaters. If the I.O.C. is closing their eyes to this, they are proving that they have turned completely political. Why don’t they look at the birth certificates?”

Nothing has been done about that potential age violation since Yang’s video recently surfaced on the Internet.

Another I.O.C. spokeswoman, Emmanuelle Moreau, said the committee had “the mechanism in place” to deal with a case of an under-age athlete who wins an Olympic medal, but she would not elaborate.

The responsibility remains with the international gymnastics federation, she said.

Officials from the F.I.G. said Saturday that they did not plan to investigate Yang’s claim that she broke the rules because no documents were involved.

“As long as the passport ages are the same as in the past as today, there is no reason for the F.I.G. to take any action,” Andre Gueisbuhler, the secretary general, said.