The International Olympic Committee is now probing whether China’s gold-winning gymnasts are, in fact, not old enough to compete in the Games.

The IOC said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated, but it asked gymnastics officials to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. The International Gymnastics Federation, known as the FIG, has asked China to submit documents to further substantiate the ages of He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan. He won the gold medal on parallel bars, with U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin taking the silver. The Chinese also took gold in the team competition, while the Americans came in second.

Some reports say some of the girls could be as young as 14. Gymnasts must be at least 16 in the year of the Olympics to compete.

The FIG is due to report back to the IOC today.

"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there’s no question … on the eligibility," Davies said.

Another IOC spokeswoman, Emmanuelle Moreau, said Friday that “more information has been brought to light and brought to our attention, so we decided to go to the federation and have them look into it further.”

If the gymnastics federation found evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could have affected four of China’s six medals.

Some Chinese parents are "indignant" over the controversy. China coach Lu Shanzan told the AP that Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.

"At this competition, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese," he said. "Chinese competitors have for years all been small. It is not just this time. It is a question of race. European and American athletes are all powerful, very robust. But Chinese athletes cannot be like that. They are by nature that small."

The AP and a computer scientist found separate documentation or omissions in official records for some of the players. AP, for example, found registration lists previously posted on the website of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born January 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born August 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 records. But the 2007 registration list has Yang’s birthday changed to August 26, 1992.

The New York Times also reported last month that online records listing Chinese gymnasts and their ages that were posted on official websites in China indicated that some members of the team might be as young as 14.