The birth dates of at least two...

The birth dates of at least two of Romania’s gold-medal-winning gymnasts were faked by the ousted Communist regime so they could compete in the Olympics and other international events, a gymnastics magazine reported.

Daniela Silivas, winner of three gold medals in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, told Olympic Gymnastics that she was only 14 when she won her first medal at the 1985 European Championships.

Silivas said she was born on May 9, 1971, and not in 1970, as listed in her competition documents.

Ecaterina Szabo, winner of four gold medals in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said her birth date was also faked. She was born on Jan. 22, 1968, rather than on the same date in 1967.

The International Gymnastics Federation bars women gymnasts younger than 15 from competing in the Olympics and other major international events, including the world and European championships.