On 17 September 2014, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), decided that Cha and the North Korean Gymnastics Federation had submitted a fake passport, presumably to make her appear old so she would meet the required minimum age to compete. FIG therefore banned the gymnast from competing through 2015, and annulled all her results from August 2006 on, including her Olympic performances in Beijing. Cha is usually listed with a birthdate of 8 January 1990, but while this has been found to be incorrect, it is unknown when she was really born.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea