Gymnasts' age eyed

BEIJING, China (CNN) - The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors, an IOC spokeswoman said Friday.

Giselle Davis, the spokeswoman, told reporters that the committee asked the International Gymnastics Federation to clarify the situation. She said she wouldn't call it a formal investigation.

The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Summer Olympics Games. Five members won medals in individual competitions.

Yet commentators, bloggers and others have raised questions about whether about half the members of China's team were old enough to compete - athletes must be at least 16 in the year the games take place.

In women's gymnastics, younger teenage girls can have an advantage over older competitors due to their often smaller, more agile bodies and lighter frames.

"We have asked the gymnastics federation to look into what have been a number questions and apparent discrepancies on this case," Davis said.