Boxer explains China age remarks

China's boxing world champion and London Games silver medal winner found herself at the center of a dispute after a report from Reuters quoted her as saying age fabrication is widespread in Chinese sports.

The report said Ren Cancan's actual birth date is April 26, 1986, making her 26 years old. Officially, however, she is 24 and was born on Jan 26, 1988, the birth date she used to register at international tournaments.

Ren admitted to the fabrication after losing in the flyweight final on Thursday.

When asked for comment on the report, Ren told China Daily she hoped people would understand athletes sometimes face difficult situations they are reluctant to discuss.

"Every athlete will make some mistakes when they are young," she said. "I hope people can understand that there are some things we don't get to decide."

Ren hinted that the fabrication was concocted before she took up boxing, meaning she did not make the change during her athletic career.

"One thing I can tell you is that I have used this registered age since I started to pick up the sport," she said.