Boy's record claim given short shrift

Katmandu - A Nepali boy's hope of being declared the world's shortest was dismissed Monday by Guinness World Records which said he was too young to qualify.

Fourteen-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar, who is 20 inches tall and weighs 10 pounds, will have to wait another four years before he can be considered as the world's shortest man.

The boy's family and friends had trumpeted his claim hoping it would get him funds for his education and heath care.

They said they had raised around $4,000 for a trust in his name by organizing shows where people can watch him dance and play.

The story made headlines in Nepal and around the world.

"There is a possibility that he could be the shortest person in the world, however Guinness World Records cannot examine more details until he reaches the age of 18 years," Amarilis Espinoza, a Guinness World Records spokeswoman, said by email from London.

"After that age, we will be happy to review the case," she said.

The current record is held by a Jordanian man, Younis Edwan, who is 25.5 inches tall, the London-based group said.

Magar has no formal schooling and likes to play with friends, offer prayers and watch television, his family said. -- The Associated Press

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